Arendelle's War of Light
by Michael Ravencroft
Summary: Seven weapons long lost to the passages of time will rise once again. A year as passed since the Great Thaw, and Elsa's and Anna's bonds have not just been re-forged but have become stronger. Those bonds will soon be tested as Hans begins to wage war against Arendelle, can the Queen and Princess withstand the might of his berserker army, or will they fall? T for language & violence
1. Prologue

_**There was Darkness, and in this black emptiness was nothing but stillness everlasting. Till, one day something wonderful occurred, there was light, and from this white light a being emerged, the origin of the power of life, the Winged God of Life. The Winged God stretched out his hands and with a simple wave he chased the Darkness away, allowing the brilliant light of life to shine through. **_

_**From his power, the world was born. At first there was nothing, but soon the world that he created was beginning to fill with various animals and even people. So strong were his powers that the creatures of the world became infused with this great light and obtained power of their own, becoming the Great Spirits. **_

_**The first spirit to be born was a monster, red in color, a creature born from when the first living thing committed murder, becoming rage incarnate, known simply as The Beast.**_

_**The second spirit was born out of fear for its own life, the golden-yellow personification of all fear, The Locust. **_

_**The third spirit was born from when life first attempted to move, the embodiment of the domineering will and strength of all creatures great and small, The Behemoth. **_

_**The fourth spirit was born from tempting others into hoarding all in their sight, the vermillion reptile, The Leviathan.**_

_**The fifth spirit was born when living beings first offered prayer, and through this act of prayer hope was born, and that hope was The Songbird. **_

_**The sixth spirit was born from when two people realized the happiness of love, the creature born from love, which was both beautiful and fierce, was known as The Hunter.**_

_**And finally, compassion was given to us all, reaching out to everyone and touching their hearts with its understanding and caring nature, The Kraken. **_

_**The Winged God regarded these new creations, deeming them its children of light. However, as time marched on, the Winged God watched as the power of its children became too much for the living creatures that dwelled upon this world, creating havoc, dividing houses and kingdoms, and razing others to the ground. **_

_**So, with a heavy heart, the Winged God took his Children of Light and scattered them to the heavens, knowing that there power was better served to help this world and others grow stronger. With his work done and life well underway to flourishing, the Winged God decided to sleep, he lowered himself and became one with the very world that he himself created, his long sojourn of peaceful eternity begun… **_

"Why do you have such a pouty face?"

"Because I still think it was mean."

Within the library of the Arendelle royal castle, Anna and Elsa were busy reading a large tome. The elder sister was giggling at the younger sister's reaction to the story she had just read, knowing full well why.

"Every time I read this to you, you always get upset about the Winged God sending his children away," said Elsa.

"Because it is mean, the Winged God is their daddy, just because some bad things were happening doesn't mean that they couldn't fix them," argued Anna.

Elsa sat up and crossed her legs, "I understand, in a way…" the pale blonde girl held out her palm and almost immediately a blue energy emitted from them, changing quickly into snow and ice crystals. "If my powers hurt people…mom and dad…or even you, I know I'd leave. Go far away where I wouldn't be able to hurt anybody – Omph!"

Anna had quickly thrown herself at her older sister, sending Elsa plopping on her back with Anna tightly wrapping her arms around Elsa as if holding on for dear life.

"You can't, I won't let you! Nobody will make you go away, and you'll never have to! Your powers are beautiful and I like them!" Anna declared.

Elsa was slightly taken aback by what her sister said; it would be more poignant to say that it was _what _she said and _how _she said it. There was strong conviction in the little girl's voice; it was a comforting thing to hear. It was probably the one thing Elsa knew was always true, no matter how badly she may mess up with her powers, no matter how afraid others might be of her, she knew that Anna would never stop loving her, their bond was stronger than steel, ice, or even the mightiest mountain. She could withstand any hardship so long as she was by her side. Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna and rubbed her cheek against Anna's strawberry red hair.

"Thanks Anna," she said.

"I love you, Elsa."

Hearing that made the elder sister blush, she never understood why, they always say it to their mother and father, and they to them. But with Anna, it felt, different, not in a bad way, more like in a nervous, happy way.

"I love you too, Anna."

Anna finally decided to let her sister rise up from the floor and return to her sitting position. Only this time Anna decided to sit in Elsa's lap, making the elder sister giggle. Elsa then propped her chin on top of Anna's head and grabbed the book.

"Now where were we," asked Elsa.

"The part after the Winged God went to sleep," replied Anna.

"Okay, now then…"

_**Though the Great Spirits were gone, their power was not. All around the world there were places where their power was strong. Some had marked these places as cursed or forbidden, others claimed them as hallowed ground. These sites evoked strong emotions, and were said to contain strong magic. **_

_**It was this that drew an unknown smithy, someone only known as The Weaponer. Somehow this person was able to go to these sites and collect the raw power that each held within it. Taking these powers, the Weaponer retreated back to his forge, where he created seven weapons from the seven Great Spirits. And he named thusly:**_

_**The Ax of Rage**_

_**The Horn of Avarice**_

_**The Scythe of Fear**_

_**The Sword of Willpower**_

_**The Shield of Hope**_

_**The Staff of Compassion**_

_**The Rapier of Love**_

_**For years these seven weapons were hidden by the Weaponer, vowing that they were his greatest creations and that nobody would wield them. That is, until, he no longer had a say in the matter. A prince, seeking the fabled weapons petitioned the Weaponer to allow him usage of his greatest works. The Weaponer refused the prince, telling him that "If these were to ever be used, the world itself could be torn asunder!" The prince did not heed his warning and bartered, even threatened the Weaponer to hand over his prized creations. **_

_**When the Weaponer still refused him the prince, in a fit of anger, struck down the Weaponer. It was then that the Ax of Rage called out to the prince, he grasped the blood colored weapon in his hands and was infused with its deadly power. He became the Crimson Warlord. **_

_**The Weaponer did not want the Crimson Warlord to obtain any of the other weapons, so, choosing the lesser of two evils, he used the last of his mysterious magic, and sent the remaining six away from them, off to locations even he knew not. **_

_**It was not long before others found the weapons powered by the negative emotional energy. The horn found its kindred in the form of a queen whose greed knew no bounds; her dreaded name was the Vermillion Empress. **_

_**The third was a mystery; he wielded the Scythe of Fear and became known as the Golden Reaper. **_

_**Together these three evil ones laid waste to many kingdoms; enslaving those who bowed before them and slaying any who dared defy their rule. Long did the lands suffer under their tyranny and evil, but as with all things, the night is darkest before dawn. And that dawn did show brightly in four heroes. **_

_**The Emerald Knight, a master swordsman, bound by the Old Code, and bearer of the Sword of Willpower. **_

_**The Blue Paladin, a princess who hailed from a kingdom that had been destroyed by the Crimsion Warlord. She bore the fast standing Shield of Hope. **_

_**The Indigo Sage, a man of few words and when he spoke it was often in a strange language, and saying the strange word as he prayed with one hand, "Nok." This stoic one used the Staff of Compassion.**_

_**And lastly, the Violet Chevalier, a young noble girl from the Gaelic kingdom, who's Rapier of Love could pierce even the coldest of hearts and fill them with love. **_

_**And so the great battle ensued, a war of emotions and light, a clashing of souls and might. This war raged on for more than seven months, the four noble warriors knew that they were nearly equal in power, and that it would be only a matter of time before one gave out, but that was a risk that they couldn't take. And so the Emerald Knight concocted a desperate plan, in order to defeat them, they would first have to separate the evil ones form their demonic weapons. **_

_**On a cold December day, the seven squared off once again and the last and final battle started. The first to fall was the Golden Reaper, the Scythe of Fear being plucked from his hands by the Indigo Sage. **_

_**The second was the Vermillion Empress. The Blue Paladin used her light to weaken the power of the Empress, allowing the Violet Chevalier to strike her heart and fill it with the power of love. With no avarice present in her heart and soul, the Horn of Avarice fell from her hands. **_

_**The last, and hardest, was the Crimson Warlord. The Emerald Knight clashed with the red tyrant, again and again, their blades striking with resounding force. The Emerald Knight found an opening and struck the Crimson Warlord in the heart in order to end their fight, but something was wrong. The Crimson Warlord did not fall; he merely chuckled evilly and raised his ax to behead his foe. It was only thanks to the Blue Paladin that the Emerald Knight was spared a fatal blow. **_

_**The Crimson Warlord roared at the two and stated, "My heart no longer beats you fools! This ax is now my heart! It is the very thing which sets my blood on fire and fills me with power!"**_

_**Knowing that the Crimson Warlord would not be easily felled, the Emerald Knight and Blue Paladin used their strongest power, Synergy. The united energy of Willpower and Hope shined brighter than the sun, their bodies set ablaze by their shared power. With one final assault, the two warriors wretched the Ax of Rage from the Warlord, and its effects were immediate. **_

_**Separated from his ax the Crimson Warlord had nothing to sustain his life, with his heart no longer beating in his chest, and on the verge of death , he gave one last deceleration. **_

"_**This is not the end! The blood of my rage stills flows! This world will burn; all shall kneel before my empire of hatred…!"**_

_**And with that said the Crimson Warlord fell silent, death had taken him. **_

_**With the threat of the three evil ones no longer looming over the world, the four noble warriors decided to hide and scatter all seven weapons. Making a pack to never reveal the secret location to either themselves or anyone else, less the terrible War of Light be reignited once again…**_

_**But, it is said that the Emerald Knight left behind clues, so that if the power were ever needed, a warrior would could find the sword, one who had the power to overcome fear and stand up to evil. For he knew that such powerful weapons, forged from the very essence of the Great Spirits, could not stay buried forever, for such power begs to shine, light can never be snuffed out, and neither can the hunger for power…**_

Elsa closed the tome, no matter how many times they read this legend; it always seemed to excite them again and again. It was then that Anna looked up at Elsa quizzically.

"Do you think that those weapons are still around," asked Anna.

"Anna, it's a legend, as in 'made up.' There's no such thing," said Elsa.

"Uh huh, says the sister who can make it snow in the ballroom whenever she wants."

Elsa thought about this for a minute and decided that her sister did have a point. She was born with the power to command the ice and snow, who was she to question the validity of an ancient legend. With that argument settled Elsa motioned for Anna to get up so that she could put the tome back where she found it. Once she did, Elsa turned to Anna and scratched at her chin as she gazed up at the grandfather clock.

"Well, mommy and daddy will be out for a little while longer, what else could we do?"

Anna pondered this for a mere second before her happy-go-lucky grin spread across her face, "Do you want to build a snowman!?"


	2. Ch1: Legacy of Blood and Rage

Deep in the wild forests of the Lavel kingdom, the capital of the Southern Isles, a single campfire burns in the darkness of the night. A man sits at its base; his bare hands hovering near the flame, feeling its warmth fill his body and chase away the chill of the cold air. The flickering embers reflected in his eyes, giving him a fierce visage. Suddenly he heard the sound of snapping branches; the man turned his head and saw four pairs of eyes shining in the bushes.

Four wolves started to stalk towards the man, snarling and growling, baring their fangs and claws in preparation for the kill. The man rose up from his sitting position, his cloak flapped about, and his hood raised to obscure his face. With his right hand he reached into his cloak and brandished a simple hand-and-a-half sword.

"So, you guys want to kill me…?"

The first wolf stepped forward, the pack leader, advancing on the cloaked man as if to answer his question.

"Yes…that is the law of this world, isn't it? Eat…" The man removed his hood with his left hand and stared down the beast. His long auburn hair flowed in the wind, his once prominent sideburns crudely shaven from his face, and green eyes which burned with a fire greater than that of hell, the former Prince of Lavel, Hans. "…Or be eaten…!"

The alpha wolf growled and lunged at its prey. Hans back stepped and kicked some of the burning tender at the alpha wolf, the hot debris hit the wolf in its eyes, causing it to stop dead its tracks as it whined and brushed its face quickly with its paw. Hans saw his opportunity and seized it. Grasping his sword with both hands, Hans dashed forward and slashed at the wolf, cutting it from the front of its chest to the right shoulder blade. Hans didn't stop, seeing the weakened predator, Hans spun around and brought the blade down on the wolf's neck, severing its head.

The wolf's body fell to the ground, spasmming and twitching as its neck let loose a deluge of blood onto the ground. The other four wolves whimpered at the loss of their alpha but just as quickly turned to Hans and prepared to attack. The former prince narrowed his gaze, smiling with sadistic glee. Han's then brought his sword up to his mouth and licked the blade, tasting the wolf blood that still clung to it.

"You really want to fight me…?"

Han's casually walked over to the severed head and picked it up. He then held the head up stretching his arm out to show his trophy to the remaining four.

"Think real hard, I can use the extra meat," said Hans.

The wolves decided that they wanted to live as they turned tail and ran away whimpering and whining in fear. Hans spat in their direction and threw the head into the darkness of the trees. Hans used this opportunity to carve out the hide of the wolf and save it for a meal later. The whole time he grunted and growled, cursing his current state of affairs. Once he was a prince of a kingdom, the youngest of thirteen brothers. He had it all planned out on that faithful day he volunteered to be Lavel's envoy to Arendelle. Han's would marry Queen Elsa and kill her, secretly of course, and obtain the throne of Arendelle himself.

_That was a good plan, until I met _her_!_

Anna was almost the same as him, alone, neglected, longing for something more. Some part of him did have some affection for the naïve little redhead, in some ways she reminded him of himself, he even contemplated actually marrying her and keeping her on as his queen, as innocent as she was Hans had no doubt he could manipulate Anna into doing whatever he wanted.

_But then…she had to go after her sister! I came so close, TWICE, to gaining Arendelle's throne! And each and every time it felt as if fate itself was against me! Now look at me…_

* * *

*** **Ten days after the Great Thaw *****

Hans was dragged, unceremoniously, through the halls of Castle Lavel. A regimen of royal guards were manhandling him through the castle, heading directly for the throne room. Several times did he protest, swearing and struggling against the guards, the very same who were supposed to obey his orders. Han's couldn't believe this; he was being treated as some sort of common criminal. Surely his father could not be this enraged.

Soon Hans found himself passing through the large double doors, an ominous rumble echoed through the hall as he watched them open before him. Hans gulped upon seeing who was on the other side. On the right and left were his brothers, each one wearing a varied expression, sadness, disappointment, smugness, anger, and disbelief. Their father, King Harrick, sat upon his throne; his expression nearly caused Hans to run away like a frightened child.

The king glowered down upon his youngest son; pure wrath was the only way to describe it. As if the king tried with all his might to kill his son with a mere gaze. While such a thing was impossible, Hans did feel as if his very soul was being seared. The guards threw the dishonored prince to the floor; Hans rose up, trying to regain some sense of dignity.

"Hans," spoke the king, "word has reached me of what has occurred in Arendelle. I grant you permission to act as Lavel's envoy, in order to establish an alliance with Queen Elsa of Arendelle, when you returned I had hoped to welcome you with congratulations and celebration…and yet…I hear you conspired to kill not just the Queen of Arendelle, but it's Princess as well, all so that you might acquire the throne for your own selfish desires!"

"Father let me explain –!"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR PATHETIC EXCUESES," roared the King.

King Harrick rose from his chair and glared daggers at his wayward son.

"Arendelle will demand retribution, if not now then soon! With the power that the Queen poses she could wage war against us, and reduce our kingdom to a frozen wasteland! It'll take years to reestablish the alliance we once had with Arendelle, and many more to regain their trust and trade! You have singlehandedly damned our kingdom, and that's not including what this turn of events has done with the neighboring territories and our alliances with them!"

Hans was racking his brain, trying to find some way to convince his father that his actions were for the good of Lavel. Nothing came to mind, this wasn't something he hadn't accounted for. He'd plan everything so perfectly that Hans didn't even think that his father and brothers would catch on until it was too late, but now here he was, about to take the full brunt of his father's wrath.

"Now…I have no choice but to pass judgment upon you…and so I rule, that Prince Hans, for the crimes of attempted murder and usurpation of an allied kingdom, is sentenced to death…!"

The room went deathly silent and Hans felt his blood run cold. This was it, he was going to die, and not by the hands of some enemy from another kingdom, and not even at the hands of Queen Elsa, but by his own family, in his own home.

"Father," the first eldest brother spoke up, "as reprehensible as I find Hans' actions to be, death would only be an escape, a way to get away from the shame and humiliation he suffered. Not to mention it would instill doubt within the people, a house divided against itself cannot stand, so the saying goes. We shouldn't make ourselves out to be murderess barbarians."

The other eleven brothers glanced between themselves, considering the eldest brother's words. The king himself even paused for a moment to ponder this. True they weren't barbarians as he stated, but then again, Hans did commit serious crimes, if Arendelle didn't seek retribution now then sooner or later they will. If they didn't hold Hans accountable for his crimes then what else could they do?

The king's eyes shifted direction, fixing a steely glare at his oldest son. "Am I to assume that you have a less violent solution?"

"I do, I propose we let him live, but stripped of his royal title and exiled from our borders, never to return."

Hans waited for his father's answer, neither option was good, but he didn't want to die, of that he was certain about. But neither did he want to be exiled to the wilds, that was more or less a death sentence. Silence reigned within the throne room for what felt like hours, but then, King Harrick let out a heavy sigh.

"Very well, I default to you Gram. Hans, you will be spared, stripped of your title and exiled from our borders…but, if you have re-enter the kingdom, you'll be executed on sight."

Those words echoed within Hans, shattering his very soul, anything else that was said after that sounded as if it were a thousand miles away.

"Damn them…"

* * *

_DAMN THEM ALL! _

Hans raised his sword and slashed at the wolf carcass before him.

_Damn my father!_

He slashed the carcass again.

_Damn my brothers!_

Again he slashed.

_Damn Arendelle!_

A third slash to the corpse.

_DAMN QUEEN ELSA AND PRINCESS ANNA!_

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hans raised his sword once more and with a mighty swing, cleaved the beheaded wolf's body in twine. Hans' clothes were splattered with the blood of the dead animal as he breathed heavily, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his sword tightly. True bloodlust flared within his eyes, thoughts of revenge swirled in his head, along with something else, a burning in his very blood that longed to slay those who've wronged him.

Suddenly he heard a rustling in the bushes a few feet in front of him. Hans readied his blade, preparing to take out his anger on the foolish creature that dared to show itself in front of him. However this creature wasn't a wild animal, it was in fact a human.

It was a girl, roughly eighteen years of age. She had long dark brown hair that went past shoulders. Her eyes were a deep blue color, filled with a mixture of fright and, maybe, joy. She wore a cloak the same as Hans that covered most of her body, fluttering along the ground the same as her black skirt.

"P-Prince Hans, it's me, Sara, please stay your blade," she said.

Hans lowered his sword, his enraged glare changing to a look of irritation as he sheathed the blood stained weapon.

"Humph, you're late. I expected you here hours ago, what kept you," asked Hans.

"F-F-Forgive me, it's just that, it took some time to procure the items you mentioned, but I did get everything!"

Sara then opened her cloak and produced two large satchels slung on both shoulders. She then walked over to Hans and placed the two heavy bags next to him. Sara went to the other side of the campfire and sat down across from Hans.

The banished prince opened the satchels and began to pull out various books and documents. Hans began to pour over the documents and tomes, most bared ancient runic markings and archaic symbols. Two books in particular piqued Sara's curiosity, one was a dusty old tome of Lavel's royal lineage, and the second was an old story book_._ During this time Hans glanced up and watched Sara, her eyes were downcast, a faint frown being shown in the light of the campfire.

_Sara must've been a bit shaken by my outburst, can't lose her now, she's the only one who's still on my side, better make amends_, thought Hans.

"Sara, forgive me. I had just been attacked by a pack of wolves and I'm still a little on edge."

Sara seemed to cheer up upon hearing Hans' kind words, "N-No, it's alright, you don't have to apologize Prince Hans! I know this has been a difficult time for you, I should've been more considerate…"

"You really don't have to be so hard on yourself, and Sara, I'm not a 'Prince' anymore, so you don't have to keep calling me that."

Sara shook her head, "Uh-uh, to me, you'll always be Prince Hans. That's how I've know you since we were children, and that's how I always will."

_Naïve idiot, oh well, so long as she's useful. _

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, why did you have me bring all this stuff? Tomes on magic, old journals and lineage documents, what exactly are you trying to do," she asked.

Hans raised an eyebrow at that question, it irritated him, but her question was valid, if she was going to be useful, Sara would need to know some of his plan after all.

"I've been looking into the history of our kingdom, and my family, in relation to this," Hans lifted up the book titled _The Legend of Light_.

"That book, isn't it just a fairytale?"

"Of course I dismissed it as such the same as you, but, after my time in Arendelle, and seeing the power of their queen bring about a fierce snow storm that almost froze everything, I realized that if magic such as hers exists, then is it not logical that maybe some so called 'fairytales' have some merit?"

Sara contemplated this; she couldn't deny that Hans did have a point. After hearing about Arendelle's "Snow Queen," it did bring about questions of whether or not the stories about old magic and ancient spirits were true. Hans opened up the documents which bore the names of many of the Lavel royal family, both living and deceased.

"I've tracked my family tree, going back to the pre-classical era, but that's where it stops. I dug further, and found out that many documents pertaining to that time were completely burned, as if someone wanted the identity of that part in our history wiped clean."

"But why's that?"

It was then that Hans grinned happily, "Because my ancestors didn't want anybody to know that my family is related to the Crimson Warlord!"

At this Sara gasped, her eyes widened to the size of saucer plates. Everybody who's ever read the story knows about how cruel and how terrifying the Crimson Warlord was, to hear that Prince Hans was related to such a being, to use the word shocking would be a gross understatement.

"Heh-heh, I know, surprising isn't it? I believe that his threat to the Warriors of Light wasn't just a threat, but a warning, that one day a descendant of his bloodline would rise up and reclaim the Ax of Rage! I believe that that time is now."

Hans reached into the other satchel and opened the book; in it were dozens of runic symbols. While they may just appear as a random assortment of runes, they were, in fact, spells of the most forbidden kind. Hans turned the pages until he found the spell he wanted.

"I know how to find it. Through the use of a little forbidden magic, and luck, this spell will lead us to the Ax of Rage. Thank you for your help Sara, but you better head back to the castle before anyone suspects you're gone."

Sara shook her head fiercely, "No, there's nothing for me back at the castle. Whatever you believe you're doing, I'll follow you to end."

"Very well…"

Hans ran his finger over the runes in the book, reading them carefully as to perform the spell with complete and total accuracy. Forbidden magic had a nasty habit of backfiring, especially when dealing with Blood Magic. Hans delved his hand into the wolf carcass next to him, making sure that his entire hand was covered in its red life essence.

"You may want to cover your eyes for this part," he suggested. "Blod sølt, født av mord, gi meg kraft til å se hva som er usett! For å finne det som søker!"

The blood on his hand began to glow, transforming into energy. The scarlet power shot straight into his eyes, Hans closed them, wincing in slight pain. Sara grew concerned when she heard him and rose to help Hans, but the former prince raised his hand in protest, feeling the pain subside. When next he opened his eyes they were no longer the pristine green color they were before, instead his irises were glowing red.

"Prince Hans, are you alright!?" Sara asked concerned.

Hans blinked his eyes a few times, adjusting to his new sight. Many things that were obscure became clear; the darkness of night seemed to vanish, giving him clear sight of everything around him as if it were day time. It was then he noticed something, a pulsating crimson trail that snaked off into the distance. Hans began to smile wickedly.

"Better than alright, Sara, much, much better!"

* * *

*** **Two Months Later *****

The night was cold, but such was the climate when hiking up mountains. Hans and Sara had been trekking for days, along the way they were able to follow the trail from the use of Hans' blood magic, the closer they got, the clearer the directions. Hans could tell that Sara did not approve of his use of such forbidden and taboo magic, but she wasn't one to question his motives. Her unyielding loyalty still drove her to follow him; Hans didn't know whether he should commend her or slap her for being so stupid.

As they neared an upcoming valley Hans' Blood Sight was weakening, he would need to recast the spell if he was they were going to get any closer. Telling Sara this, the two of them started to search for viable sources of blood.

"What about that deer," she asked.

Hans turned in the direction Sara was looking and indeed there was a deer. His eyes narrowed as he scoffed.

"I need blood that is strong, a wolf, a bear – hell – I'll even take some random common criminal's blood!" Hans scanned the area, waiting to see if there was any kind of predatory animal stalking the deer so that he could use its blood. He then let out a frustrated sigh, "Killer's blood works better, but we're so close, can't afford to be picky."

Hans unslung the bow from his back and notched an arrow. Taking careful aim he released the arrow, the projectile whistled as it sailed through the air, hitting its mark right in the deer's chest and piercing its heart. The doe fell to the ground with a thud. Hans quickly went to the fallen animal, drew his sword, and sliced it to allow its blood to flow. Hans quickly cast the spell again, thinking that he could boost the current spell with the blood of the doe. Luckily for him his theory was correct and his red irises shined once again.

The path was clear to him once again and the two set off. Hans and Sara traversed the valley for hours, believing that they were going in circles and that the Blood Magic was proving to be ineffective in located the lost demonic weapon.

*Ba-Dum*

Hans stopped moving.

*Ba-Dum*

"Prince Hans, what is it?"

"Hush," he hissed.

*Ba-Dum*

*Ba-Dum*

*Ba-Dum*

Hans saw a trail of red energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. The disgraced prince ran frantically through the trees, jumping over logs and slashing through shrubbery with his sword. Sara ran after him, thanking her foresight to switch from a skirt to leggings months ago when she started this quest.

Hans continued to follow the pulsing trail, till he finally came to a stop. Sara finally caught up with Hans, panting as she tried to catch her breath.

"Prince Hans, why did you stop, did you lose the trail," she asked.

"No, we're here…"

Sara looked up and gasped at what she saw. The field was barren for a thirty foot radius, no sign of vegetation, trees, shrubs, or grass. About fifty feet ahead of them there was a cave. Sara felt a strong aura of murderess intent, every part of her mind screamed for her to run away from this place, it was…evil.

"Prince Hans…I-I think we should leave this place, it feels wrong," said Sara.

"No, we've finally found it, and now it's time to claim my birthright!" Hans declared.

Hans, ignoring Sara, ran forward, heading straight for the mouth of the cave. He too could sense the murderess aura the permeated the ground and air, in fact, he could see it. The Blood Sight showed him the various strands of red light that spider webbed around everything, weaving in and around stalagmites and stalactites. Hans could hear the mysterious heartbeat; it called to him, like a soothing lullaby he had forgotten. Within the pitch black cave Hans saw a red star like beacon in the distance.

Closer and closer he moved, the star growing brighter as he did so. Soon he came upon it, and the former Prince dropped to his knees.

There before him was the fabled Ax of Rage. The weapon was rusted; the large handle had a textured grip as to keep the bearer from losing the weapon and to cut down on wear and tear of a bare palm. At the center of the ax, where the three foot wide blades connected, there was a symbol that resembled that of a bull; no doubt this was the crest of the Beast, the same insignia that his ancestor, the Crimson Warlord, adopted when he took ownership of the weapon.

Sara caught up with Hans and gasped upon seeing the prince on his knees. She quickly rushed to his side, ignoring the uneasy feeling that built inside of her.

"Prince Hans! Prince Hans! What's wrong, are you hurt, speak to me!"

"I am fine Sara…I just…I just never thought I'd get to lay my eyes on the fabled weapon…I almost believed it was nothing more than a story, but here it is, proof, right in front of us!" Hans rose to his feet with sinister, yet, happy smile upon his face. "Look at it Sara, the weapon that laid waste to armies and decimated an untold number of kingdoms right here before us! Those Warriors of Light made sure to hide the Ax in a far off place, places normal people wouldn't dare to look, or attempt to, but they didn't heed the Warlords warning, it wasn't the ravings of man on the verge of death, it was a warning, a warning that one day a descendant of his line would come to claim his weapon! And today is that day!"

"Prince Hans, you really don't think that that rusted ax is actually _the _Ax of Rage…do you?" Sara asked skeptically.

"OF COURSE IT IS," he yelled, "Why else would somebody place it all the way out here!? Don't act like you can't feel it either Sara, there's power here, it's in the air!"

"I-I admit, this place is…overwhelming, but that's why I think we should leave."

_Stupid girl, loyal my ass! Now that I've come so close she wants to turn tail and run! The hell with her, it's time to claim what is rightfully mine!_

Hans strode forward against the wishes of Sara. The ax was, for lack of a better word, intimidating. The ax itself was about seven feet tall, about a foot and a half taller than him. Hans reached out, slowly, carefully, and grasped the handle. Nothing happened. He then reached out with his left hand and grabbed it. And yet again, nothing occurred. Hans took hold of the ax; it was considerably light considering the size. The blades seemed rusted as well, but the edges still appeared to be sharp.

"Are…are you alright," asked Sara.

"Hmm…"

Hans stared off at the nearby stalagmite, tossing the ax between his right and left hand in order to get a good feel for the demonic weapon. When the ax landed in his right hand Hans swung it at the stalagmite, the blade easily cleaved through the rock.

"Well the blade still seems sharp enough, but for a magical weapon one would think that its forger would place some sort of spell or enchantment that would keep it in prime condition," said Hans.

_**Hungry…**_

"What did you say, Sara?"

"I said nothing, Prince Hans."

_**Hungry…**_

"We'll cook that deer carcass later tonight, you aren't the only one who's hungry," he snapped.

"Prince Hans, I didn't say I was hungry…?"

"Yes you did I heard –!"

_**I hunger…!**_

Hans went silent for a moment, his eyes drifting towards the ax. The weapon began to pulsate. The rhythmic heartbeats started once again, thrumming in his ears. Only now he heard a voice.

_Ax of Rage, is that you I hear speaking to me…?_

_**I hunger…**_

_You hunger, hunger for what?_

_**Kill…I need blood…**_

_Blood, yes, of course! You are dormant; the Beast killed and fed on the flesh and blood of its fallen, and so to must you in order to fully revive! I'll go out and find some dumb animal and –!_

_**Her…**_

_What?_

_**Her blood…give me her blood…!**_

Hans looked up, his eyes resting on Sara. It was then he knew what the Ax of Rage meant, it wanted Sara's blood. Now the question was raised, could he kill her? She had followed him all this way, done everything he asked of her, and above all others, stayed loyal to him despite his crimes.

"Let me ask you something Sara. When you heard about what happened in Arendelle, what did you think," he asked.

Sara was confused, wondering where this question came from. But considering that it was the first time he had asked her she saw no harm in telling him.

"Well…I didn't believe them. I've been by your side since we were children, and you were always kind to me," at this Sara began to blush, "That's why, when they said you were being exiled for crimes of murder and conspiracy to overthrow Arendelle, I knew it had to be a lie! Because you wouldn't something like that, I know you, I…I…!"

Hans put up his hand, prompting Sara to stop.

"Thank you for that Sara, in truth, your loyalty and… your friendship, has kept me from going insane after everything that's happened…" Hans held the ax in his right hand as he moved closer to Sara. He was less than arm's length away from her.

Sara watched as the one person she truly cared for reached out and cupped her cheek in his left hand; his palm was rough, but somehow calming. "Prince Hans…?"

"In truth, had I not known about this – any of this – we could've made a good life together."

Sara placed her right over Hans', "We still can, the only thing that made me happy in that castle was you, and that's all I need."

Hans smiled upon hearing those words. "I'm glad you feel that way Sara." Hans released his hand from her cheek, letting it drift a few inches from her. His dreamy smile grew dark and he quickly struck her with a vicious slap across her face, sending Sara flying to the harsh cave floor.

The banished prince inspected his left hand and saw trace amounts of Sara's blood on it. He then brought the Ax of Rage up and smeared the blood on the blade. The reaction was almost immediate. The rust that encrusted the ax broke off and turned to dust. A scarlet red aura started to outline the ax as it transformed. The symbol became more jagged, the blades twisting and connecting, turning blood red, while the hilt changed to black.

"The Ax of Rage has awoken," said Hans.

Sara placed her hand over the spot where Hans had struck her, looking at the one she once admired and considered a friend.

"W-W-What's happening, why did you hit me!?"

"It would seem that the Ax of Rage needed sustenance, and it chose you, Sara." Hans could feel the energy of the Ax flow through him, and it was intoxicating. "Don't you see you'll be able to help me? Your blood will be what fuels the Ax of Rage! You'll be with me forever this way, isn't that what you wanted, to be with me!?"

"Prince Hans this is nothing like what I wanted! Please put it down and let's leave this place! PLEASE!?" Sara begged.

Hans looked from the Ax and then to Sara. His decision was made. He gripped the Ax of Rage in both hands, raising it above his head like an executioner before swiftly bringing it down.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH –!"

*Shlang*

*Squelch*

At that moment the cave erupted with burning red light, the overwhelming power of rage roared to life all around Hans. The entire csave turned to rubble before him.

_**Hans of Earth, you have great rage in your heart!**_

Outside the red light poured out from the cave entrance, growing brighter till it exploded outwards, taking large chunks of the mountainside and most of the forest beyond the barren field. What was left behind was nothing but scorched earth and rock, and one lone being standing at its center.

His body was covered in red armor, with black chainmail and leather underneath. Upon his face was a pale red bone mask with two long curvy horns. There were four holes, two on his shoulder pads, and two on his wrists that oozed red energy. Around his waist was an assortment of bladed weapons, from butcher cleavers to knives and even some jagged hooks. Within the dark space of visor two glowing red eyes burned like fire.

"_**With blood and rage of crimson red,  
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,  
Together with our hellish hate,  
We'll burn you all – that is your fate!**_"


	3. Ch2: Elsa's Secret

It was a peaceful day in Arendelle, a bright sunny, summer's day. All about the city the citizens were happily walking about, whether it was going to the market, or having the little children running and playing, everybody was having a goodtime.

All that is, except, Queen Elsa, who was currently in her meeting room, listening to the Ice Carvers Guild accuse the queen of a conspiracy to oust them from their jobs, you know, the usual. Elsa sat in her chair, her posture perfect, her expression neutral, her eyes carrying just the faintest hint of sympathy, indeed the Queen of Arendelle had practiced this visage so as to not let on what she was really thinking.

"So as you can see my Queen, why we have concerns about not just our livelihood, but our business as well. What with your power, you could easily make ice yourself," said the Representative.

"As I've said before, I have no intention of putting your Guild out of business. Arendelle still relies on your services during the summer and winter times, as well as us here in the palace. While, yes, I do have the power over the ice and snow, I do not use my powers on a mere whim, only when the situation constitutes such use. If we experience a massive heat wave, and the people are suffering, then I would be inclined to do so. But seeing as that is not the case, you have no worries. I do believe our Representative, Kristoff, explained this to the Guild Heads personally," said Elsa.

The Ice Masters Guild Rep. chuckled slightly, prompting Elsa to raise an eyebrow out of curiosity. Had she said something funny?

"Forgive me your Highness, but it is no secret that Representative Kristoff is a close personal friend of your Highness' and of course Princess Anna."

"I fail to see the problem; he helped to save this kingdom, and kept my sister safe during my…brief hiatus…" Elsa cleared her throat, "Regardless, perhaps you might give me a sense of clarity on the matter?"

"Well…with respect your Majesty, yes his contributions are not at all secret. Look at it from our perspective, while yes he is a fellow Ice Carver, Kristoff has earned your Highness' favor, and it is also no secret that he and Princess Anna were a couple for –"

"Careful Rep. Fenwick," Elsa interrupted, "my sister's and Kristoff's affairs are not for discussion, am I clear."

There weren't that many things that made Elsa raise her voice, or speak with such intimidating authority, but when Anna was being talked about unnecessarily, it ignited a small fire in Elsa's heart, awakening her more protective side. Luckily Fenwick caught on to the dangerous tone in Elsa's voice and decided to skip to the nitty-gritty.

"Sorry your Majesty, ahem, in any case, the Ice Masters within the Guild believe that – and these are there words not mine of course – Kristoff's assurance of income is secured by your friendship with him," said Fenwick.

Elsa brought up her hands and interweaved them in contemplation as she propped her elbows on the table. She stared down Rep. Fenwick for a few seconds, beads of sweat started to appear on his brow, probably out of some primordial fear that Elsa might freeze him where he sat. After some thinking Elsa let out a deep sigh before sitting up back in her chair.

"Rep. Fenwick, while I do understand their concerns, they will have to accept my word that their continued business here in Arendelle is secured. Despite what they may think, and until they can present a better argument than mere conspiracy theories, they will continue to conduct their business unimpeded and without worry of my powers. Now, if there is nothing more to discuss, I'll bid you good day," said Elsa in a calm and even tone.

Fenwick didn't argue, although he understood what the Queen meant, he knew those from the Guild would require better proof than a mere word. The Representative rose from his seat and bowed to Elsa before exiting through the door, upon which Kai, Elsa's trusted attendant, walked in as he closed the door behind him.

Once the door was shut Elsa let out an exacerbated sigh, "How many times do I have to reassure them that I'm not trying to run them out of business!?"

"From the looks of things, probably sometime in the next decade or two," said Kai.

"If I should be so lucky, well then, is there anything else on the agenda," she asked.

Elsa rose up from her chair and proceeded to walk to her study at a leisurely pace while Kai informed her of the rest of her duties for the day.

"Ahem, a few stacks of paperwork await you in your study. The usual tax reviews, construction permits, a few petty crimes to preside over – oh and we got a visitor."

Elsa turned to Kai with an interested expression, "Really, from where?"

"Weasel Town – ahem – excuse me, I mean Wesselten," said Kai, intentionally mispronouncing the name.

The pale blonde queen let out a frustrated sigh, which accidentally took the form of a frosty wind. Kai took this a good indication that she was less than pleased by the news, a sentiment he shared.

"How many times does that make it Kai, thirteen – fourteen envoys now?"

"More like fifteen your Highness, seems their keen on reestablishing trade with us after what happened last year, trying to make amends as it were."

Elsa scoffed, "Inform Wesselten's envoy that I am currently busy with other matters and will not be able to meet with them. And to pass on a message: If the Duke wishes to establish trade or apologize for his greedy ways then he should do so in person and not hide behind the _NUMEROUS_ envoys he sends to us."

"Of course," said Kai, smiling inwardly at how the envoy and the Duke himself would react to such a message.

"Well then, I best get to those –"

"ELSA!"

She stopped immediately upon hearing her name called out. At the other end of the hallway Anna came bounding towards her, hair still done up in her twin braids, wearing a velvety green dress with gold embroidery. Anna quickly latched onto Elsa, the action almost sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

"Finally I found you," said Anna.

"Why what's wrong?"

"'What's wrong,' is that I'm bored, let's go outside and do something!"

Elsa chuckled at the bundle of energy that was her younger sister, "Anna you know I still have work to do, why don't you go find Olaf and play with him?"

"I would, but he's busy playing with the kids in town. You know how kids love a walking, talking snowman," said Anna.

"Well…" Elsa thought for a minute, "…what exactly did you want to do if we did?"

"I~ kinda had this crazy idea, it involves you," Anna pointed to Elsa, "and me," she then pointed to herself, "cutting loose and riding an ice trail all around town!"

Elsa shook her head, "Anna, you know I don't like to use my powers unnecessarily. I know you're bored, but couldn't you at least think of some other way to entertain yourself?"

"I was hoping we could spend some time together, you know, you and me," said Anna.

The strawberry blonde tilted her head slightly, and stared up at Elsa with a pouty frown. Elsa knew what Anna was doing; she was using the dreaded Puppy Dog Eyes, those eyes that made her cave almost every time. Elsa steeled herself and stood her ground, she would not be swayed.

"I said no Anna, I have wor k to do so I'll see you later, and maybe then we could do something together that doesn't involve my powers."

Anna sighed in defeat, "Alright…I'll just, go read a book in my room or something."

Elsa watched as Anna walked passed her, slightly disappointed, which caused the elder sister's heart a pang of hurt. Kai noticed the look in his Queen's eyes and moved closer as to speak more privately.

"You know, Queen Elsa, you could spend some time with Princess Anna, the paperwork can wait," offered Kai.

"No, I do like that Anna wants to spend more time with me, but it doesn't mean that I can shirk my duties. She has to know that I'm responsible for all of Arendelle and that I might not always have time to spend with her, even when I try to…"

"Very well."

Elsa and Kai began walking to the study. It wasn't long before the two of them arrived and Elsa went inside, closing the door behind her. Her shoulders sagged as Elsa's eyes spotted the mountain of paperwork that awaited her on the desk, truly if she wasn't gifted with the magical power to command the powers of winter she would've thought that somebody enchanted her desk to reproduce an endless supply of documents whenever she left. Elsa knew of course that that was absurd, still, so was the ability to create a living snowman and plunge an entire kingdom into eternal winter.

_Oh well_, she thought, _might as well get it over with. _

Elsa sat down at her desk and began to work through the pile of important documents. She had gotten through ten pages before her mind started to wander. Elsa's thoughts immediately went to Anna and the disappointed look on her face. True, the two of them had been working for the past year to mend the bond they had lost after…_that day_. Elsa stopped writing and stared at her right hand. A spiral of snow started to swirl in her palm.

Elsa closed her hand and the spiral vanished. She then rose up from her seat and strode over to a mirror in the corner. She looked over herself, dressed in the same queenly outfit she wore during the coronation. Since that day, she hadn't dawned her "Snow Queen" appearance; there was a time and place for that. When she was like that she was _free, _she could act how she wanted; use her powers without a care. Though it was public knowledge, she still had to keep up the appearance of a regal queen. Her _other _persona had, for lack of a better word, spun a few heads of some of the local men and boys of the city. Elsa looked into her reflection's eyes as Anna's words echoed in her mind.

"_I was hoping we could spend some time together, you know, you me." _

Elsa knew what she wanted to do, making her way to the door and opening it quickly to call for Kai, only to find that he hadn't left but was standing beside it. A knowing look was plastered on his face. Elsa tried to compose herself, but couldn't hide the blush that was prominent on her pale skin.

"Kai, I've decided to take a break, see to it that my appointments and work are aptly taken care of that I may resume it upon my return," she ordered.

"Of course my Queen, I already took the liberty of pushing back your afternoon meetings, so there is nothing to worry about," said Kai as he bowed before her.

"Oh…well…that's good! Thank you, Kai. That'll be all."

Kai watched as Elsa started to walk down the hallway, her pace increasing as she rounded the corridor and vanished from sight, only to see a flash of sky-blue light a few seconds later. The old attendant chuckled and smiled warmly.

_Queen Elsa, you really must learn that "letting your hair down," isn't a bad thing to do once and awhile. _

* * *

Anna laid on her bed, sprawled out and staring at the ceiling. It wasn't like she was oblivious to her sister's work, far from it. Anna knew that Elsa had a lot of responsibilities as the Queen, and in a way, it did frustrate her. Not because of the duties themselves, but because Elsa wouldn't let her help. She was the _Princess of Arendelle _after all. So she was entitled to do some of the important stuff and help Elsa run the kingdom.

"But every time I asked to lend her a hand Elsa would always comeback with…"

"_Anna don't get so wrapped up in this work, you're still young, go out and enjoy your freedom."_

"Or…"

"_You don't have to worry about it Anna, I can do this myself."_

"I mean, I'm just as capable, probably, maybe! And what does she even mean 'you're still young,' she's only three years older than me – _Three! Years! _UGH!"

Anna turned on her side, her cheeks puffed out in frustration. She knew why Elsa did this, she wanted to be a better ruler, a better person, to show that she can rise above the fears she had once before and run Arendelle. And it wasn't like she could complain, not that much, Elsa did make time to spend with her, they would even take off back to her "Ice Palace of Total Aloneness" in order to play and have fun.

Anna returned to lying on her back and started to close her eyes, her mind focusing on the image of her older sister. There were times when she believed that she was in fact two different people living in one body. On the one hand there was Queen Elsa, ruler of Arendelle, regal and stalwart, a kind, caring, and fair person. The other was Elsa the Snow Queen, it was when she adopted that persona that she was a _lot _more fun, willing to do a few crazy things, affectionate, more sisterly, and – speaking objectively mind you – she was beautiful, well she was always beautiful, but when she was like that Elsa was…was…

"Anna~"

The strawberry blonde slowly opened her eyes, sensing a presence hovering over her. When she fully opened them she saw none other than Elsa.

"BOO!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

Anna quickly jumped up and hit Elsa's forehead with her own, sending the older sister flying back and landing on her rear. While Anna squirmed around on the bed in a slight amount of pain as she brought up her hands to rub the spot where their foreheads made contact. It was then that her mind finally caught up with what happened; she got off the bed and looked down to see that Elsa was indeed on the floor, rubbing her injured forehead. What surprised her was that Elsa was not in the same outfit she was in when she last saw her. Elsa was dressed her blue sparkling dress and cape, the same one she created with her powers, her single braid hung off her shoulder while strands of her pale blonde hair were loose and pulled back.

"Well that hurt," groaned Elsa.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry I – wait a minute! Why am I apologizing for, it's your fault, you scared me!"

Elsa got up from the floor and dusted herself off, a smug grin upon her face told Anna that she had switched to the Snow Queen persona. _Did I forget to list that she liked to pull little pranks like this, well, CHECK!_

"Well maybe if you weren't such a scardy cat, you wouldn't be so jumpy," countered Elsa.

"Well maybe if you didn't hover over me like some stalker we could avoid painful situations like this – OW," said Anna.

"OH ANNA!" Elsa placed her hand over her heart and swooned melodramatically. "You wound me; I am most certainly _NOT _a stalker! I'm more of an avid watcher."

"Like there's a difference. And how the heck did you get into my room, I didn't even hear the door open!?"

Elsa grinned, "Found a new ability of my powers, I can be here one minute –" the elder sister's body then transformed into a miniature blizzard that whooshed and whirled around Anna. In a matter of seconds the mini-blizzard recollected behind Anna, instantly changing back into Elsa. "…And over here the next."

"Eeep!" Anna jumped yet again and fell back onto the bed. "Seriously, you can turn yourself into a snow flurry and zip around whenever you want!? That is so coo – ahem – I mean, so what big deal. It just makes an even bigger stalker."

"I am not," said Elsa.

"Are too," countered Anna.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

The two sisters glared at each other, a glare that lasted for about ten seconds before the two of them started to laugh whole heartedly.

"Seriously though, that is pretty cool. But why are you here, I thought you were up to your elbows in paperwork," asked Anna.

"Yes I was 'up to my elbows in paperwork,' but I had a change of heart, I am the queen after all," said Elsa. "So what was that idea you wanted to try out?"

"You mean the one about using your powers to create an ice slide? Yeah, what about it?" Anna asked.

"Let's do it!"

Anna stared blankly at her older sister in stunned silence.

"…Excuse me, what?"

Elsa didn't give Anna a chance to fully process that. She quickly grabbed her younger sister's wrist and hauled her to the balcony. Anna's mind finally started to kick in at what Elsa was getting at and quickened her pace to match hers. Elsa released Anna and stood on the edge of the balcony, she turned to flash Anna a confident smile before letting loose an icy blast that formed a slide. Elsa jumped and started moving, creating the slide as she went along. For Anna, there was only one thing to do, and one thing to say.

"WHOO-HOOO!"

That was the sound heard all around Arendelle as the people looked overhead and watched as a winding trail of ice looped and spiraled all around the town.

Elsa was at the head of the trail, her hands thrust out as she created the ice slide, while Anna followed behind her, arms flailing in the air as the wind rushed over her. Elsa continued to create the ice slide, which started at Anna's balcony and continued onward. They neared one of the larger structures in the city and Elsa willed the slide to coil around it once, twice, three times before they zoomed off into another direction.

"TOLD YA THIS WOULD BE FUN," shouted Anna.

Elsa rolled her eyes and grinned happily as they continued. The ice slide then found itself over the fjord; the sailors looked up as they watched both the Queen and Princess fly by. Elsa arched the slide upwards, higher and higher it soared till she cut off the icy blasts. Both she and Anna flew up into the air, hovered for a moment, and then went into free fall. Anna still shrieked in delight while Elsa let out a few excited cheers of her own. Once she had determined that enough falling time had passed Elsa thrust out her open palms and sent out another icy blast. The moisture coming from the water provided a quick response to her power as the ice slide quickly reformed.

Anna landed on her rump and slid, while Elsa landed ahead of her and continued creating the slide. Deciding to be bold, Elsa redirected them towards the city, the slide weaved through the streets as the citizens hurriedly tried to get out of their way. Some were able to, but a few unlucky ones weren't. Like the baker carrying a rather large cake that obscured his vision. Elsa and Anna yelled out, warning him of their incoming. The baker moved his head to look behind the cake; he screamed and tossed the confection into the air, hitting the dirt and covering his head with his hands. Elsa directed the ice slide around the baker in the nick of time, however, when the baker rose to his feet in relief he found himself getting completely covered in the very cake he had tossed into the air, which apparently fell back down in a straight line from where it was launched.

"Sorry," yelled the sisters in unison.

The next unfortunate soul was a merchant selling fish, more specifically lutefisk. It also happened to be a moveable stand. Elsa and Anna gasped upon seeing the merchant's stand and tried to avoid it, however, in the narrow streets there wasn't much room to maneuver, and going up would be hard with the hanging laundry, which left only one option.

"Hang on," ordered Elsa.

"To what," asked Anna.

The Snow Queen channeled her energy and created a barrier of hardened ice in front of them, forming a makeshift battering ram. The merchant saw the oncoming Queen and Princess and quickly dove out of the way. The barrier smashed through the cart, sending fish flying in every direction, one fish even landed in Anna's lap before she gave a mighty "Eek!" and tossed it. The merchant got back to his feet and went to the remains of his cart, he then looked in the direction the two sisters went, raised his fist, and shook it yelling.

"MY LUTEFISK!"

"Sorry, again!"

* * *

Deciding that that was enough fun in town Elsa angled the ice slide away from the populated area and towards a more secluded place. After a few more minutes of looping, whirling, and shrieking, Elsa found the spot she was looking for. Before they got too close, Elsa cancelled the ice slide, the construct disintegrating in seconds and turning into sparkling snow which quickly evaporated into thin air. Anna was unsettlingly aware that there was nothing underneath her, panic began to take hold as she realized that both her and Elsa were now gliding over the ground, but soon gravity would kick in and ruin the feeling.

Elsa let loose a flurry of snow, aimed directly ahead of them. The snow built up more and more till it became a snow bank. Anna and Elsa then landed in the bank, both giving a mighty "oomph!" as they did. Anna was the first to pop her head out of the pile of snow, sputtering out the snow that got into her mouth. A few seconds later Elsa's head popped out. They both looked at each other and in mere moments were gripped in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Now that was fun, did you see the baker," asked Elsa in between laughs.

"The _baker_, did you see the _merchant_!? 'My lutefisk!' priceless – HA HA!"

The two sisters continued like that, reminiscing over their recent little escapade as they got up. They walked through some trees till they ended up in a little clearing. There was hill that overlooked the town and the castle, and gave a beautiful view of the fjord and the ocean beyond. Elsa and Anna had discovered this spot a while back when they were children, but hadn't returned to it since that fateful day. But it was never forgotten, for it was their secret place, where nobody could bother them and they could play all day without being disturbed. Now though, it served as peaceful place of rest, where they could both get away. It was probably the one spot they both shared and knew they could find each other at.

Anna yawned and stretched her arms before leaning back and plopping herself onto the soft grass.

"Don't tell me you're tired when I was the one doing all the work," asked Elsa.

"No, just enjoying the hot sun and nice breeze," answered Anna.

Elsa stared out into the distance, indeed the sun's warmth was a bit hot, but the breeze cooled it just enough to make it relaxing. Taking Anna's advice, Elsa lowered herself down till she was in a sitting position, then she laid back against the grass, joining her sister in relaxation. Elsa propped her hands under her head to act as a makeshift pillow. The Snow Queen sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, but soon found a familiar weight shifting towards her. She opened her eyes and watched as Anna cuddled up to her, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder.

"A-Anna, what are you doing?"

"You feel nice and cool," was her only response.

"Gee I wonder why?"

"Shut up."

The two of them laid there together, staring up at the sky. Neither of them said a word, this wasn't an excursion just to talk, more about enjoying the others company. Every now and again, Elsa's eyes would wander towards Anna, her lips arching into a smile. A whole year had passed since the day her powers were revealed, a whole year, and in that time, they had reformed the bond that they once had when they were young. Although Anna still had no memory of Elsa's powers from when they were little, but that was to be expected.

Elsa believed that once her powers were revealed that Anna would regain her memories of them, but the leader of the Trolls said that he replaced them, and in truth, Elsa knew that that was for the best. If she did remember, then she'd also remember how Elsa almost killed her when they were young. Though it was an accident, Elsa still blamed herself, in truth she had still never forgiven herself, and it weighed on her heart, that wasn't exactly the biggest thing that weighed it, but it did go hand-in-hand with something else…

"Elsa? Elsa?"

The Snow Queen was snapped out of her inner thoughts by the sound of Anna's voice.

"Oh w-w-what, sorry I was deep in thought," said Elsa.

"Really, what about," she asked.

"Um…well, it's nothing, something that the Ice Carvers Guild Representative said that got on my nerves…"

"Why, what'd he say?"

"He was trying to argue about how you and Kristoff were a couple, and that his relationship with you has earned him special privileges, some nonsense like that," said Elsa.

"Oh…really?"

Elsa brought her right arm and used to hold Anna, "I'm sorry, I hate it when the Guilds or the envoys refer to you as if you were some bargaining chip, or asset, and I also hate it when they bring your past relationships into it as well."

"Elsa it's okay. True, I mean, I thought Kristoff was, you know, _the one_, but after a few months we decided that it didn't feel right. Not that I don't like him, it was actually a mutual breakup, we're still friends and I still hang out with him," said Anna.

"But he's been away for last month or two, hasn't he?"

"It's partially the reason why I'm bored." Anna then sighed forlornly, " Sometimes I wonder if I even know what _true_ love really is, I thought I was in love with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but that turned out horribly, catastrophically wrong! And then there was Kristoff, I really thought it would work out, but, silly me, it didn't."

Elsa held onto Anna tighter, "Well I think you do, it was that love that saved me, saved all of us. I-I'm sure there's someone out there that can make you happy, so don't give up so easily, alright?"

Anna smiled at her older sister and nestled closer into Elsa, "Okay, I promise."

It wasn't long before Anna drifted off into a peaceful nap. Elsa couldn't really fall asleep, no; she was too busy focusing on Anna. The way her chest rose and fell with each breath, her rosy, freckled cheeks, her beautiful braided hair, like fire itself had been given physical, tangible form and weaved into every strand of her locks. The curvature of her lips when she – _Stop it! _Elsa lightly shook her head.

_Stop thinking like that…you know it cannot be…it never can._

This wasn't the first time Elsa had these kinds of thoughts; in fact, they were happening more since that day of the Great Thaw. No, if she was truly honest with herself, they went back even further. Back to their childhood, of course she was too young to understand then, but now…

* * *

*** **Later That Night *****

When Elsa returned from her quality time with Anna she found herself bombarded with even more paperwork, which seemed to have doubled in the last few hours. Something she attributed to their recent little bonding activity, of which the whole of Arendelle unwittingly participated in. Elsa, metaphorically, rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Signing this and that, approving and disapproving, commissioning a new cart, paying for a ruined cake, the list went on.

Finally Elsa was finished with all her work, and by that time the moon had already risen in the night sky. Taking a candle with her, Elsa made her way back to her chambers where she would get some well-deserved rest.

When she entered, Elsa stopped in front of the mirror, realizing that she hadn't changed out of her Snow Queen outfit. Still, it wasn't like she didn't like it. If she had it her way, Elsa would go around all day looking like this, the real her. Then again, whenever she did wear this Elsa became a bit bolder, subconsciously strutting whenever she walked in an almost provocative manner. Now that she thought about it, it was Anna who originally told her about the unconscious sway she put in her hips.

_Funny, I think Anna was actually blushing when she told me that_, thought Elsa. _Oh get a grip on yourself Elsa; she was probably embarrassed that her older sister was acting in such a manner. _

Elsa lit a couple of more candles to light her room, allowing her to see inside her wardrobe and pick out her nightgown. Changing was easy enough, since her Snow Queen Dress was created from her magic; she merely had to dismiss it with a thought. _Another plus for why I should just make all my clothes from that ability, _Elsa noted. Once Elsa was in her nightgown, she snuffed out the candles, pulled back on the blankets and slipped in. The comfy sheets nuzzled against her, and the soft pillow cradled her head, inviting her into the land of dreams.

Several hours passed and Elsa was fast of asleep, until something awoke her. A tingling in the back of her mind roused her from slumber. She recognized this feeling; it was one of the newer abilities she mastered with her powers. Elsa remembered once stating that she was "one with the wind and sky," well in a sense, she found that to be true. She could sense the air, how it shifted, and how the currents flowed.

Elsa developed this ability, along with her flurry transformation, in an effort to better defend herself. The near fatal blow Hans almost delivered Elsa while her back was turned was a wake-up call. So she honed the ability to sense others through the air, and found out that different people gave of different feelings.

Those who were hostile she sensed immediately, since the air was tinged with aggressive action. However, those of whom she was familiar with registered differently, it was more of a soft thrum in the back of her mind, alerting her to their presence. Elsa could also tell exactly who it was. She suddenly felt a shifting of weight in her bed, knowing full well that it was Anna who had invited herself in. It had become sort of a thing now; Elsa no longer locked the door, so now Anna could come in and out at her leisure like she used to when they were young.

Usually it happened when Anna had a nightmare, lord knows Elsa had more than her fair share of those, all of which stemmed from the events of a year ago. Anna had told her once that her most horrible nightmare was of when she didn't make it in time and froze before she reached Elsa, watching helplessly as Hans cut her older sister down before her eyes. Anna had cried a lot during that night, and so did Elsa, although her dreams were not any better.

The worst one was of her, walking down from her ice palace and finding all of Arendelle frozen. Its citizens lying in the streets deathly cold, all was silent except for the snow storm that continued to bluster and blow. The most horrifying sight in that nightmare was finding Anna, cold as ice and lifeless, hiding in her older sister's room, waiting for her to return. It came as a relief when she awoke and found Anna lying next to her that night, and almost every night since then. It gave her peace of mind knowing that things were okay.

Elsa started to roll over onto her right side, only to come face to face with Anna's sleeping face. She hadn't realized just how close she was, and she couldn't help noticing how cute she looked whilst she slept. Elsa tentatively brushed Anna's cheek with her left hand, causing the strawberry blonde to smile.

"Elsa," she mumbled.

Hearing her name caused Elsa to blush, her heart started to beat just a little bit faster. All the while she cursed herself, she hated that she had these feelings for Anna, her own sister, a girl! What would there parents think of her if they were still alive!

_They'd probably think I was disgusting_, she thought. _I don't know why Anna, but every time I look at you, I feel as if…as if a new storm is rising inside of me…one that could threaten what we worked so hard to get back. I'm content with this, being nothing but sisters, that's all I wanted. But now…now that we have that back, these feelings, feelings that I didn't understand when I was child are suddenly starting to push themselves to the forefront of my mind…and I'm afraid of what I might do. _

It was a struggle Elsa dealt with, day in and day out. Trying not to stare too long, making sure a hug didn't last any longer than what was necessary, but it was hard, very hard. Anna was affectionate, especially now that they were back to the way there were. Elsa knew that there were few options available to her. Busying herself with work only did so much, and every time she did it meant spending less time with Anna. She couldn't very well seclude herself in her "Ice Palace of Total Aloneness," as Anna so eloquently named, that would just be running away from the problem, again.

Elsa let out a sigh and continued to stare at Anna's sleeping face. Her gaze resting on Anna's lips…_Could I? _Elsa thought. _She's asleep, and for all intents and purposes, she thinks I am as well. _

Elsa started to move her head a little closer to Anna's face, inching very, very slowly as to not wake her. She paused.

_No wait, what if she wakes up!? She'll demand an explanation or she'll freak out and run out of here! Wait, wait, calm down Elsa. You were turning in your sleep and you just "happened" to move too close to Anna's face and your lips touched hers…It's entirely plausible. So long I don't linger…_

Elsa continued forward, inching closer to Anna. Their noses were nearly touching; she could feel her sister's warm breath brush against face.

_Just one quick kiss…nothing more, if it doesn't feel right then I forget about these feelings and we continue on as we always have! And if it does…then, I…_

Elsa slowly closed her eyes as she leaned forward, ready to steal a kiss from Anna, but the moment before she did Elsa stopped and pulled back. Anna's eyes were getting teary, and her face was scrunching up as if in pain as her body began to shiver. Elsa began to panic, surely she didn't see her! Anna's eyes were closed the whole time!

"Don't…don't leave me…Elsa…please, don't go away," cried Anna.

Elsa's heart sank; she was having a nightmare, and a bad one at that. She almost stole a kiss from her while she was in pain.

"Oh Anna…"

The young queen moved up and embraced her younger sister, bringing her head close to her chest. Elsa held her tight against her, conveying her presence to Anna. The shivering stopped as she felt Anna's arms wrap around her, clinging to her as if she were the one tangible thing that gave her solace in the nightmare.

"Shh, it's alright, I'm right here," she whispered softly.

Elsa maneuvered her right hand so that it rested on Anna's head; she lightly stroked her unbraided hair while making soothing sounds to calm her.

_I can't tell her, she's been through enough. I almost lost her twice; I won't make that same mistake again. My feelings be damned…if anybody deserves to be happy, it's you. _

Elsa planted a soft kiss on Anna's forehead, sealing her resolve. Although she was well aware, when it came to these matters, life seemed to always find a way to surprise her. Somewhere, deep in Elsa's heart, she hoped that Anna felt the same. True it was a farfetched hope, an impossible one at that, but, that's why it's called hope. To believe that the impossible can happen, but the thing of it was, Elsa didn't know if it was really something she should be hoping for. But that didn't matter right now, now it was time to sleep.


	4. Ch3: This is New

The kingdom of Lavel had changed in the recent year. Its people walked about with a since of dread and fear, the once peaceful visage of the castle was…tainted. Banners hung from its walls, each one embroidered with the insignia of Lavel's new king, the Crimson Warlord.

Inside the castle the Crimson Warlord sat upon his new throne, and his ax resting across his lap. The throne was a macabre creation made of bones, with six skulls lining both the armrests, twelve in all, and leading up to the thirteenth skull where rested the crown of the king. There was a knock at the throne room doors, Hans looked up, his red eyes gleaming.

"Enter," he ordered.

A tall, lanky man walked through the doors; he was garbed in the new dark red robes of the attendants. The man gulped as he walked towards the throne, feeling the boring gaze of the Warlord.

"Have the preparations been completed," asked Hans.

"Y-Yes my lord, your 'Blood Mages' have completed work on the crystals. I have them with me and they're ready whenever you chose to use them," said the attendant.

"Excellent."

No sooner had he said that did the doors fly open once again. Three men walked into the throne room, each shackled and lead by four of the royal guards. Each of the guards had a blank expression, not wanting to show just how much they detested working for such a man. Lavel's soldiers didn't have much of a choice in being led by Hans, when the banished prince returned the guards and soldiers found out just how ineffective they were against such supernatural might.

After slaying all of his family, Hans gave the soldiers and guards only two choices: follow him or die. Many had families and feared that he wouldn't just stop with them; he'd probably kill their entire families if he felt them to be a risk, and with the godlike power Hans possessed, he could easily do so.

The three men were stopped and made to kneel at the foot of the throne. The first man was bald, a scar running from one side of his face, across his left eye, and ending at his right cheek. The second had unkempt black hair, and a shaggy beard. The third was overly muscular and had a look that could kill.

"Release them, and then leave us," ordered Hans.

The guards looked at each other skeptically, but knew better than to question Hans' orders. One of the guards unhooked his keys from his belt and started to unlock each of the prisoners' shackles. When the criminals were free the guards turned around and left the throne room, the doors closing behind them with a great thud.

The Crimson Warlord rose from his chair and walked down the short steps to meet the three criminals. Hans waved his left hand over his face and the pale red bone mask disappeared like smoke. Hans' face had regained it once regal appearance, his prominent sideburns restored. His eyes, which were once green, had taken on the red shine of the light that empowered the Ax of Rage. Hans then circled the three, eyeing them up and down, inspecting them. He then stopped and stared at the first criminal to his left, the bald man with the scar.

"Felix, you're guilty of murder. Your favorite method is evisceration, the use of daggers, hooks, and chains. The famous 'Butcher of the Western Territories."

Hans then looked at the second man with the shaggy hair and beard.

"Rudolf, murder _and _rape, very nasty work you do, or should I say did?"

He then moved on to the third man.

"Brutus, you're also guilty of murder, but you use your unbelievable strength to actually tear your victims apart. I have to say I'm impressed, takes a lot of strength to literally tear someone's arms and legs off."

Felix started to get edgy being sized up like this. "Oi, so what's the deal here!? Why the bloody hell do you want with us, and who exactly are _you_!?"

"He's Prince Hans," answered Rudolf, "But the last I heard you were ousted from Lavel. Where is the king, and those brothers of yours?"

Hans looked at Rudolf and smiled sinisterly, "Oh they're here, why don't you have a look…"

Hans took a few steps to the side, allowing them an unobstructed view of the throne. Brutus only grunted as if unimpressed, Rudolf stroked his beard thinking, and Felix only spat to the side and whistled.

"Blamey, knew ya hated your kin, didn't think ya hated them _that _much," said Felix.

"Then you can imagine what I do to my enemies." Hans then returned to his original position and stared them down once again. "Gentleman, and I use that term loosely, you have two options. Each of you has been slated for execution, and I know you don't wish to die a dog's death. So either you join my new army, or you can satiate my Ax's bloodlust."

Felix and Rudolf gave each other shifty eyed glances. Both of them had heard about the "Crimson Warlord's" power, but both criminals were less than impressed by what they saw.

"Or there's ah third option," said Felix.

"Is there now?"

"Yeah, ya see it was foolish to have your guards there uncuff us, 'cause now, all we have to do is kill you and this will be our kingdom, ya get where I'm goin' with this?!"

"Perfectly." Hans placed the Ax of Rage behind him, straps made of red light started appear around is body, holstering the weapon. Hans put his left arm behind his back. "You get one chance, and to make it easier on you, I'll only use one arm."

Rudolf and Felix chuckled.

"Very well 'King' Hans, have it your way. Brutus, please show him why he'll regret this for the rest of his life."

That seemed to be all the motivation Brutus needed as he lashed out with both of his arms. Hans held out his right arm and let the overly muscular criminal grab it with his large hands. Brutus then proceeded to squeeze, attempting to crush the bones underneath his armor. When Brutus realized it was getting him nowhere he tried to rip Hans' arm off. He tugged and pulled with all his might, yet Hans remained in the same spot, not moving an inch. The veins on his head and arms started to bulge as he struggled and strained to rip off his arm.

"Brutus, stop foolin' around and tear this wanker's arm off!" Felix shouted.

"My turn."

Hans' body shined with a layer of red light, the aura lapped off of him in fluid and wispy motions, like fire and blood were compromising the aura itself. The Crimson Warlord quickly levitated up into the air, with Brutus hanging on with conviction. Felix and Rudolf gasped at the sight as both Hans and Brutus were now near the ceiling, fifty feet high. Brutus seemed to finally register what was happening and his once killer expression changed to one of shock.

"Going down?"

Hans intensified the aura, making it burn against Brutus' skin and forcing him to let go. Brutus fell quickly, but not before stopping a mere seven inches from the floor. All three criminals looked up and saw that there was a chain made of red light wrapped around Brutus' leg. With a flick of his wrist the chain disappeared and the criminal fell to the ground, groaning in pain from hitting his head. Hans descended and landed feet first onto the floor, a smug look upon his face knowing he had bested them so easily.

"Now, do I have your attention? These are no mere parlor tricks I use, or some illusions, I have power – _REAL POWER_! And I _DEMAND _your respect, am I clear!?" Hans shouted, causing the room to shake.

All three criminals looked between each other, coming to a consensus. They all got on one knee and bowed to their king, the Crimson Warlord.

"Now that we have an understanding, you three will be the first in my new army."

"Begging your pardon, but neither of us are trained soldiers, we are but murderers, criminals," said Rudolf.

"Yes, you are. I have soldiers, plenty in fact, but what I need can't be found in a soldier, no, it can only be found in the twisted minds of those who have chosen to steep themselves in blood, and on that note."

Hans snapped his fingers and the attendant quickly rushed towards him. The lanky man reached into his robe and produced three blood red rubies, each inscribed with a particular set of rune markings.

"These gems stones, once properly empowered, will give you untold strength and savage ferocity. A Berserker, an unstoppable force of killing might, and you three will be the first of many," said Hans.

"What…exactly do we have to do," asked Felix.

"I only have one rule for you to follow. And that rule, is that you will obey me, from here on, without question or hesitation." Hans waited and watched as all three criminals nodded to this condition. "Now all we need to do is find out the perfect moment to strike…"

* * *

*** **Arendelle June 20****th*****

Anna was peacefully sleeping, she didn't know why but she had a strange sense of comfort, as if all the worries she had melted away. The Princess slowly opened her eyes, her senses starting to catch up. There was a faint sent in the air, one that she recognized, Anna was also aware that she was being held. When Anna opened her eyes she saw that she was in the warm embrace of her elder sister.

Anna snuggled in closer to Elsa, enjoying the embrace. She was becoming faintly aware of Elsa's heartbeat, for some reason it almost acted as a soothing lullaby to her. Anna carefully looked up and saw Elsa's sleeping face, calm and content, as if she had found true happiness right here.

There were times when Anna still couldn't believe this was real, after all the years of being apart. Though they both lived under the same roof the two sisters might as well have been miles away from each other. Anna was almost afraid she'd lose her sister, and that she would never truly connect with her again. But that didn't happen, their bond was stronger than ever, and now Anna couldn't help but want to be around Elsa, it was almost like rediscovering things about her all over again.

The way she laughed, the way she crinkled her nose whenever she was thinking hard about something, the way her eyes sparkled when she was being her true self, and the way her lips curled up whenever she smiled…oh and let's not forget the way she likes to strut her stuff and – _Why the heck did I just think that!? _

Anna suddenly felt her cheeks warm as she blushed. Now that she thought about it she was becoming aware of the subtle curves of her body as Elsa held her close. Anna's heart began to race, her reactions becoming increasingly confusing as she laid there in Elsa's embrace.

_Calm down Anna, there's nothing wrong with this! Elsa's just likes to cuddle in her sleep! I've done it before to her and she hasn't acted all weird about it! I mean, if she was uncomfortable with that then she would've told me…so why do I feel weird?_

Anna wasn't really sure how to describe what she was feeling. It felt right, being this close to Elsa; it was comforting, safe, and exciting. And yet, it was…it was…_I don't know what…?_

"Hmmm…Anna…"

She froze.

"Anna…that's my candy…"

The young Princess then let out a long held breath._ Okay that's enough of my own weirdness, time to wake up._

Anna started to shift in Elsa's grasp, but the elder sister did not release her. After a few more tries Anna found that she couldn't escape her sister's iron grip. Without many options left to her, Anna resorted to one last desperate act, one that would either really tick off Elsa, or make her retaliate. Anna's hands hovered over Elsa's side; she then quickly placed her hands down and began to tickle Elsa mercilessly.

The pale blonde's eyes shot upon as she burst out into hysterical laughter.

"AHA HA HA HA! Anna no – HA AHA HA – please stop!"

Elsa wasn't one to just lay back and take it, the Queen shot out her hands and started to assault her younger sister's sides. It was now Anna's turn to burst out into laughter, her own tickle attack weakening in intensity, allowing Elsa to gain the upper hand.

"AHA HA HA – No fair – HA AHA HA!"

"Y-You started it!" Elsa shot back.

The two sisters continued like that, wrestling in the bed, blankets flying every which way, trying to tickle the other into submission. Although they knew their behavior was childish they didn't care, Anna and Elsa were catching up on years of horsing around, so they were entitled to act like children once and awhile, and if any servant was going to say anything, Kai and Gerda were there to make sure that nobody thought less of them for it.

They're little battle continued on, until, Anna and Elsa started getting too close to the edge as they rolled about. They eventually covered the last few inches before the both of them tumbled down from the bed and rolled a few good times before stopping. Luckily the blankets cushioned some of their fall to the hardwood floor, but that didn't make it hurt as less as they wanted it to.

"Well, that was fun. Elsa are you alright," asked Anna.

"Yes, I am. That was quite the tum…ble…"

Elsa had risen a bit to get her bearings, but froze when she noticed just how close her face was to Anna's. More than that, Elsa was on top of Anna in a rather suggestive manner.

Anna noticed the rather precarious situation she and Elsa were in. For some reason though, neither one of them moved. Elsa just stared at Anna, and Anna just stared back at Elsa. The strawberry blonde's heart was beating fast, she knew that this was an accident, and yet, why was she feeling so nervous and excited at the same time.

Neither one knew who gulped first, but they're nervousness seemed to be shared as their faces started to feel warm, their cheeks turning a bright crimson as they continued to remain in that position.

_Elsa's so close, she could…could…_

_Anna's so close that I could…!_

It was then that both the Queen and Princess were brought out of their trance by the knocking they heard upon the door. Both and Anna and Elsa turned in the direction of the door and silently prayed that whoever it was didn't come barging in right at this particular moment.

"Excuse me, your Highness; I came to inform you that breakfast is ready and waiting."

The sisters let out a long held breath, recognizing the voice as Kai's.

"We – I mean – **I'll **be there in a minute," said Elsa.

Elsa and Anna listened as they heard the sound of Kai's footsteps grow fainter as he walked away from the door.

"Um…Elsa…maybe we should get ready for breakfast." Anna, timidly, suggested.

Elsa was brought back to their current situation and scrambled off of Anna. She the hurriedly rose up and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Uh, y-yes, we should, ahem, do you need a hand," asked Elsa as she extended her open hand.

Anna, who had propped herself up on her elbows, tentatively took Elsa's hand into her own and allowed her older sister to help her up. Although they weren't in that awkward position anymore, neither sister cloud get rid of the red tinting of their faces.

"I, uh, better go and get dressed, you know, for breakfast," said Anna.

"Yes, I um, need to as well…I'll see you in the dining hall," responded Elsa.

"Okay then…I guess I'll be leaving now."

Anna did an about face and made her way towards the door. Once she was on the other side, she quickly shut it and let out a huge sigh of relief. The weirdness tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a blade.

Anna briskly started to make her way towards her room, trying to drive out what had just happened from her mind. It was weird, it was awkward, and yet, some part of her wished it had lasted longer.

* * *

Breakfast was slightly more awkward, especially after what happened in Elsa's bedroom. Anna didn't mean to blush so hard; the way Elsa had landed on top of her was a complete accident, especially after their faces were almost in kissing distance. Anna quickly shook her head, trying to dislodge those thoughts.

_She's my big sister! Don't go reading into stuff like that! _

"Anna?"

She froze mid bite of her scrambled eggs.

"Y-Yes?"

"Is everything alright, I know that was a bit of a strange thing that happened this morning…sorry," said Elsa.

"No, no, no, no, it's alright – you did nothing wrong, I was the one who started it," said Anna flailing her arms in front of her.

Elsa sighed in relief, "Well, maybe I can lift the mood a little. I was planning on telling you later today, but I guess now is good."

"What?"

"I'm bringing back the Summer Solstice Festival," announced Elsa.

Anna's reaction was immediate. Her smile expanded from ear to ear, and there was a certain sparkle in her eyes, she even jumped out of her chair and began to do a little skip-hopping dance of joy. Elsa couldn't help but giggle upon seeing her younger sister's reaction to the news, though she knew Anna would be excited she wasn't expecting this.

"The Summer Solstice Festival, are you serious!?" Anna asked.

"Quite serious."

"Oh man, I loved going to the Festival! The games, the food, and the bonfire dances! We haven't had one of those since –!"

Anna clasped her hands over her mouth in an attempt to prevent the last words of her sentence to escape. But she didn't need to finish for Elsa knew what the end of that sentence was. The Summer Solstice Festival was something that the two sisters would often attend, a day when the royal family could walk among the people and enjoy the festivities like anyone else. Some of the sisters' fondest memories were made during the Festival. But…after the incident, when Elsa almost killed Anna with her powers, and the King and Queen decided to keep the two separate and isolated, the Festival was cancelled. There were definitely no signs of it returning after their parents' death.

"Elsa I am so sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's alright Anna; you don't need to be sorry. But that's why I want to bring it back! It's going to be a big celebration, one that will symbolize a new beginning for Arendelle! No more secrets, no more being separated, or fear, or sadness. This will be the day when Arendelle will truly start anew, and show that the gates will always be open! And it's also a little present for you…and me," said Elsa.

Anna went around the table to where Elsa was sitting; she then hugged the elder sister tightly. Anna was happy, it probably was a huge understatement, but it was true. It just drove the fact home that everything was really okay now, that they didn't have to tiptoe around each other anymore, and the people could smile more truly than they ever did.

"Thank you Elsa." Anna pulled back and smiled at her before adding, "Soooooo…when does the Festival start?"

"In three days. On the twenty-third of June, just as it always was, which means that I'm going to be busy for the next couple of days to get everything prepared. You'd be surprised how much money we have in the coffers since we cancelled most of the bigger festivals and celebrations, so we can really go all out."

"I can't wait! I'm so excited!"

* * *

*** **Later That Afternoon *****

"I'm so BOOOOORRREEEEDDDD!" Anna proclaimed.

Currently Anna was trekking through the halls of the castle, with Olaf accompanying her. The little, living snowman walked side-by-side with the Princess, thinking hard about ways to alleviate Anna's boredom.

"Oh, oh, wanna explore the castle!?" Olaf asked.

"No, I've done that like a _million _times, trust me there's not one part of this place that I haven't explored. I've even been in the dungeons!"

Olaf sulked, "Yeah, never mind. I mean, I'm sure you've seen that one brick with the weird symbol in the West Wing Corridor a million times too."

"Yeah, especially that weird symbol in – whoa, wait, WHAT!?" Anna stopped in her tracks and stared quizzically at the snowman. "What weird symbol?"

"Huh, oh, just some weird little symbol on a brick in the west wing, but it's really, really faint," said Olaf.

"Show me."

Olaf started to scamper away, with Anna hot on his heels. Anna wasn't sure what the living snowman had found, her mind was abuzz with many possibilities. _Could it be something that appeared after Elsa unleashed her powers?! Is it something that's always been there!? I mean, Olaf said it was really faint, so maybe I didn't notice it before. _It was then that Anna realized something. _Wait, the West Wing Corridor, that's near the library! _

It wasn't long before the Princess and snowman made it to the West Wing Corridor, and sure enough, they were right outside the library. Anna watched as Olaf waddled towards the wall across from the library doors. With his wooden hand he pointed at a brick in the middle of the wall. _Well that's new. There really is a weird symbol, and it's real faint, no wonder, I probably passed by it so many times and didn't even notice. _

Anna continued to stare at the symbol, which was a circle, with one horizontal bar on top and another at the bottom of the circle. The longer she stared at this symbol, the more Anna felt as if she recognized it, a sense of nostalgia nagging at her in the back of her head.

"I swear I've seen this before," said Anna.

"You, have where?" Olaf asked.

For a brief moment the symbol sheened and a faint glow of green showed. It was then that Anna remembered, the idea hitting like a bolt of lightning.

"Wait right here Olaf, I'll be right back!"

Anna quickly dashed into the library. She then hurriedly scanned through the books on the shelves, searching for the one book she knew would help confirm her suspicions. After searching three shelves and two rows worth of books her eyes settled upon the one she sought after. Anna grabbed the book and blew off the layer of dust that had accumulated.

"_The Legend of Light_," she said, reading the title aloud.

Anna leapt off the ladder and went back to where Olaf was. She then flipped through pages, searching for the specific image until she stopped and rested her finger on one particular image.

"This is it Olaf!"

"What, what is it," he asked excited.

"This is the insignia of the Emerald Knight!"

"Really, that's great!" Olaf's happy smile then shifted to one of confusion, "...Who's the Emerald Knight?"

"Here look." Anna lowered the book to allow Olaf a view of the Emerald Knight. "He was one of the Warriors of Light, the leader in fact. He wielded the Sword of Willpower, which, like the other weapons, gave him incredible powers!"

"Like Elsa's powers?"

"Not exactly, each weapon gave different powers; they were also connected to a specific emotion. Willpower is supposed to be something close to courage or something."

"Wow, so why's the insignia here," asked Olaf.

"I don't know, this legend is supposed to be hundreds of thousands of years old," Anna began to reach out towards the symbol, "I'm not even sure what the connection is to Aren –!"

The moment Anna touched the symbol it shined with emerald light, creating of vortex of energy. Both Olaf and Anna were sucked into the vortex, vanishing from sight.

* * *

Anna and Olaf continued to fall through the vortex. Anna could feel her gut sinking, as if they were falling down, but then it would shift as is if they were turning. It didn't make any sense, the tunnel looked as if it were heading in a straight line, so why did it feel as if it were twisting and turning. Regardless, that line of questioning would have to wait until she stopped screaming her head off.

Eventually the tunnel opened up at the bottom. Anna and Olaf drifted close by till they were in arms reach, they then embraced each other tightly, closing their eyes and preparing for the rough landing that was inevitable. But then everything stopped. The roaring energy of the vortex had ceased. Anna was also aware that her feet were standing on something solid.

"Are we dead?" Olaf asked.

"I…I don't think so…" The strawberry blonde slowly opened her eyes, preparing herself for the worst. "Okay…this is _definitely_ new!"

Olaf also opened his eyes, his jaw dropping till it literally fell off his head. Anna's was gaping just as much, but had the fortuity to have muscles that kept her jaw from doing the same thing.

All around them was a large room, with green glowing torches lined up in a circle. Anna looked up and saw a large rotunda, with runic symbols lining the walls. Below their feet was the insignia of the Emerald Knight, up above the same insignia was shown, perfectly aligned with the bottom. Before them was a large stone door. The insignia was at the center, with runes itched below it.

Olaf jumped out of Anna's arms and retrieved his missing jaw, placing it back where it belonged. "Wow…let's go check it out!"

"Olaf wait, we don't even know if this place is safe, or wherever _here _is and – Oh the heck with it, this is kind a fun!"

The Princess and snowman walked up to the front door, Anna was holding onto the book, in case it might be of use. Immediately the door responded to them. Around Anna a circle of green light shined below her and the Princess prepared herself to be sucked into the vortex yet again. But that was not the case, the energy dissipated and soon the door markings began to glow. Olaf and Anna stepped back as they watched a ghostly image of the runes hover before them.

"What does it say," asked Olaf.

"I don't know? I never really studied runic markings like Elsa. Apparently my mom and dad could read them, but I was never taught…"

The markings seemed to respond to Anna's words, the symbols changing to legible text that she could read.

"**Strength alone cannot open this door, the way is barred.  
Only those with strength of Will can journey forward."**

"So, I guess, we need to open the doors," said Anna.

"Sounds easy enough," proclaimed Olaf.

The living snowman flexed his imaginary muscles and began to push against the stone door. His feet started to scrape against floor, trying to get leverage in order to push the door open. Yet, with his effort, grunting and panting, and some incoherent words that Anna was pretty sure that weren't appropriate for a snowman to say, Olaf was unable to move it. The snowman halted his efforts and panted.

"I-I think I loosened it up for you Anna, why don't you give it a try."

Anna stifled a giggle and leaned down to kiss Olaf on the forehead.

"Thanks Olaf. Well, let's see what I can do."

Anna handed the book over to Olaf, she then rolled up her sleeves and began to push with everything she had. First she tried with both hands, planting her feet and pushing against the stone block. Nothing happened. Next the young Princess put her left shoulder into it, pushing as her feet slid against the floor. No results. Anna then put her back against it, unfortunately, no luck. Now she was getting ticked off, royally. Anna then started to step away from the door, making Olaf wonder what she was planning.

After taking about twenty steps from the door, Anna turned around and ran at the door, jumping a few inches off the ground, and kicked at the door. Her foot landed against the stone, only for her to be stopped and thrown to the ground, cradling her head as she met with the unforgiving rock below.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! That hurt!" Anna shouted.

"Are you okay," asked Olaf concerned.

"Yes, just my pride is hurt." Anna got up from the ground and stared at the door angrily. "I don't get! 'Strength of will,' how else can we open this door if we aren't…strong enough…"

"Anna?"

"Can't be that easy…can it?"

Anna began to walk towards the door. She then placed her right hand on the stone. She didn't push, nor make any effort to open the door physically. Instead, Anna concentrated, focusing her thoughts, feeling herself push the door open on a more ethereal level.

_Open_, she thought.

The door shuttered.

_Open_…!

The runes and insignia began to glow with green light. From where Anna's hand rested, a beam of emerald light shot up and down, drawing a line down the center and to the left and right.

_Open!_

Suddenly the light shined brightly, cutting through to the other side. The stone split open, becoming two large double doors that slowly opened before them. Olaf stared in amazement as the way opened. The two doors thudded against the walls, within the dark tunnel, rows of torches began to light up with green fire, lighting the way.

Anna put her hand down and let out a sigh.

"That was amazing! Anna, how did you do that!?"

"'Strength alone cannot open this door, the way is barred. Only those with strength of **Will** can journey forward.' In other words, whether or not you had the physical strength to open the doors didn't matter, but, if you had the strength of will, in other words, the drive to want to make them open, then it would happen," explained Anna.

Olaf didn't quite understand, but decided to just go with what Anna said. With the door opened the two set off further into the tunnel. They continued to walk deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Anna started to wonder just how far under the castle this hidden place was, and how it had gone unnoticed for so long. Surely it must've taken many people and possibly many days to carve out that chamber and door, along with this long tunnel.

_Maybe it was from when Arendelle was founded? But there's no record of it in any of our books…although…there isn't much mention of anybody in our family who had powers besides Elsa. Come to think of it, if it was something that was passed down, then maybe someone in our family did have powers! Maybe they hid them just like Elsa did, because they were afraid of what the people might think about them! Just like what happened last year…and it was my fault…but then again, if that didn't happen we wouldn't be back to being together like we once were. _

Finally they arrived at the second door, like the first it had the insignia and rune markings, but unlike the first it did not start to glow. Anna thought something was off, besides the door situation, she didn't hear the patter of Olaf's feet. She turned to her right and saw that the snowman wasn't next to her, she craned her head further back and saw that he had stopped midstride.

"Olaf what're you…?"

"Can't move…! Stepped on something…!"

"What're you talking…about…?"

Anna's eyes drifted downwards and noticed that Olaf's right foot was sunk in. It didn't take long before Anna understood what was going on.

_Of course, stupid, stupid! Places like this always have hidden deathtraps! C'mon Anna think! It's not like the Emerald Knight would just leave his all-powerful sword lying around and easy to get to! _

"Okay, Olaf, whatever you do don't move," said Anna calmly.

The panel Olaf stepped on started to shine with green light and he flinched.

"I didn't move!"

Suddenly a stone slab rose quickly, separating both Olaf and Anna. The Princess started to pound against the door while calling out for Olaf. She couldn't hear anything from the other side of the slab, Anna prayed that Olaf was alright, but if she was honest, he'd survived worse. Then something else happened. The torches went out and the whole inside went dark.

"Oh great, now what?!"

Soon there was light, the insignia and runes started to glow. They were a different set this time and started to change to readable text.

"**The way is shut, yet you cannot shut out the fear.  
Show now the essence of will and lay your soul to bare." **

Anna stared at the words quizzically, the last clue was meant for her to use her strength of will to open the door. Now this door saying something about "fear" and the "essence of will," before Anna could contemplate the words further something started to happen. The light of the words started to change and shift, swirling around her. The energy then vanished, bringing back the darkness. Anna looked around worriedly, not knowing what exactly awaited her.

Her answer appeared before her, and Anna couldn't believe her eyes. It was Hans, made up of green light. He was in the same princely outfit she last saw him in, but he wore the same sinister, dashing smile like he had before the moment when he proclaimed that he didn't love Anna, and was secretly plotting to kill her and Elsa. His arms were behind his back and Hans slowly walked towards Anna. The Princess of Arendelle held her ground, although on the inside she was shaking. Anna may have punched the guy out, but some part of her still feared him. He came close to killing her and her sister and taking over Arendelle, too close.

"Anna, Anna, Anna, nice to see you again," said the Hans construct.

"W-What are you doing here!? How the hell are in the Arendelle!?" Anna demanded.

"Ooooh, come now, I never left. At least, not up here," Hans tapped a finger against the side of his head. "Heh, heh, such a tough, spirited girl aren't you, Anna? Always so quick to jump to the aid of those you care about; when we all know it's just an act."

"'An act,' it's not an act, I do care about everybody! Elsa, Kristoff, the people of Arendelle!"

"Ha! You expect me to believe that!?" Hans raised his right hand over his head, immediately a sword materialized into his open palm. Hans grabbed the sword and held it at arm's length, the tip pointing straight at Anna. "Tell me Anna, how selfless are you? You were willing to give your life for Elsa's, correct?"

Anna's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, taking a more aggressive stance upon hearing her Elsa being threatened.

"Of course I did! And I'd do it again!" Anna proclaimed in a stern voice.

"Oh, but that's when you thought you were going to die wasn't it? There was no guarantee that you'd live. But that's not the case now is it? Here's your choice, will you sacrifice your life once again," asked the construct.

"Of course I would," she said.

"Wrong."

The Hans construct slashed at Anna, slicing her across her left cheek and leaving a shallow cut. Anna retreated back a few steps and gritted her teeth from the pain. She placed her left hand over the cut and felt blood.

"Are you seriously that stupid!?"

Anna watched as the construct swung at her again. She sidestepped to the left, although she missed a serious blow, she did not walk away unscathed. The sword managed to cut Anna's arm, adding another bleeding gash to her first, Hans whirled around and gripped the weapon with both hands, staring menacingly at the young the Princess.

"That's just giving up, and do you know why!?"

Hans rushed towards Anna and brought down his sword for a downward slash. Anna saw the attack coming, quickly ducked down, and rolled off to the other wall. The construct's blade cut through the stone wall, leaving a large gash in its wake. Anna tried to recover but slipped when her shoe caught on her skirt and caused the strawberry blonde to tumble to the ground.

_Damn it, I knew I should've worn some leggings today! _

The green light shined over her, Anna hurriedly turned around and saw Hans looming over her.

"I'm going to cut you a thousand times over, I'll slowly kill you, and there's nothing that you can do about it! And do you know why!? Because for all your spiritedness, despite your happy-go-lucky attitude, and no matter how brave you pretend to be, it all boils down to the fact that you are _afraid _of _me_!"

Anna stared angrily at the construct, "I'm not _pretending_! I'm not afraid of you!"

The construct slashed at Anna, his attack was so swift that Anna only saw the after image of the blade. It was then that she became aware that her leg stung. The skirt had a gash in it showing Anna's cut thigh.

"I'm not afraid," she said again.

Another slash, striking her at her left side, Anna winced from the pain that the cuts were emitting, but still she refused to give up.

"I'M! NOT! AFRAID!"

The construct unleashed a flurry of slashes each one precise. Anna's clothes were getting torn and stained with her blood, she brought up her arms in a desperate attempt to protect herself, but it did her no good.

"I'm…not…afraid…!"

"…So be it…"

The construct raised the sword high like an executioner. Anna's body was hurting all over; even breathing was making the gashes throb with pain. Anna brought down her arms and watched Hans, this was it. She was going to die here, underneath the castle, cut off from everybody she loved. It was then that the words of the wall flashed within her mind. Hans brought down the sword, the blade was mere inches away from Anna, but it was then that she realized what she needed to do.

"I…I…I am afraid…"

The blade stopped, a mere six inches from splitting her skull.

"What was that, I didn't quite hear you," the construct mocked.

"Yes…I am afraid of you. I was afraid when I'd thought I'd become frozen forever, and the one person I thought could help me, the person I thought I loved, only smiled and laughed!"

Anna raised her right hand and grabbed the blade of the sword. The pain was excruciating as she felt the sharp edges dig into the skin of her palm, but she didn't care.

"You were going to kill Elsa and me, and ever since you were sent away, in the back of my head, I feared that one day you would come back and exact revenge on us…so yes, I am afraid of you Hans…but…"

Anna started to tighten her grasp around the blade, the pain she was feeling before was lessening considerably, in fact it was almost nonexistent. The blade started show signs of cracks which spread from the blade all the way to the guard. The Hans construct started to get worried, he tried to pull away from Anna, but the girl's iron grip forbade him from doing so.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and do nothing!"

Anna clenched her fist and shattered the blade. The construct stumbled backwards, the force of the break somehow weakening him. It was then that the fragments of light started to reform around her right hand. Anna watched as a new light sword appeared in her grasp. It didn't take the Princess long to know what to do with it. She entered a fighting stance, one that she'd seen the guard trainees use hundreds of times. Anna then let out a fierce battle cry and dashed for Hans. The construct had nowhere to run. Anna raised the sword and slashed through Hans!

The construct let out a few surprised gasps, there was a long, glowing, horizontal gash across his chest. Anna was standing a few feet behind him, panting, sweating, and bleeding, with the sword still in hand. It was then that she went lax, releasing the sword and letting it disappear into nothingness. She then turned her head and gave the construct an sideways glance.

"I won't be ruled by fear, because I have the courage to stand up to it…"

The construct smiled, "Well done…" and with those last words it vanished into fragments of light.

Anna fell to her knees, exhausted from the ordeal. It was then that the torches relit and the stone slab lowered back into the floor. Olaf, who was smiling for a moment, gasped upon seeing Anna's condition and quickly rushed towards his friend.

"ANNA! Are you alright!? What happened!?"

"I-I'm okay Olaf," she winced, "Although, I think I may need to see a doctor."

Suddenly a ring of green light appeared around Anna, making Olaf jump back in surprise. A column of emerald light washed over Anna. She felt a rush of energy coursing through her body, the pain disappearing completely, and replacing it with a soothing cool feeling. The column of light ended and released Anna. She stood up and examined her body, all the cuts were gone, there were no scars, or traces of blood, even her clothes were repaired.

"The essence of willpower, is courage, I get it," she whispered to herself.

* * *

Anna and Olaf, despite the last little test, decided to continue the journey. Since Anna wasn't hurt anymore, and there was no sign of any real damage to her body, she didn't see any reason to stop. After what felt like hours of walking through the green lit tunnel, the Princess and living snowman finally reached the end.

The tunnel opened up to a large, round chamber. The insignia of the Emerald Knight was etched on the ceiling in four spots. At the center of the chamber was a large rock that jetted out of the floor. And when Anna saw what was stuck in it, she gasped. The blade was a bright green color, and appeared to be made of crystal. The guard was a darker shade of green, in the center of the guard was the insignia which seemed to shine. The hilt was wrapped in black, winding leather, with a fleur shaped pommel that was the same color as the guard.

There were deep grooved lines that spanned the entire room, all of which led back to the rock, all of them glowing with the same green light. Anna took the book from Olaf and quickly flipped through the pages. She found the page with an illustrated image of the Sword of Willpower, and sure enough, it was an exact match.

"Olaf…we found it…this is _THE _Sword of Willpower! The fabled weapon of the Emerald Knight," shouted Anna.

"Wow, it looks better in real life than in the book," said Olaf.

Anna gave Olaf the book again; she then slowly made her way towards the famous weapon. She was completely awestruck; Anna never believed that she'd actually get to see the ancient sword of her childhood hero! As Anna approached the sword, something happened. The grooves began to glow, as well as the rune markings and insignias. An aura of green light started to form around the Sword of Willpower. More runic symbols appeared above the sword which made Anna cringe.

_Oh great_, she thought, _another test, the last one nearly killed me. _

"**Are ye worthy…?"**

This new message confused Anna, it didn't sound like some cryptic message she had to solve, if anything it was just asking a simple question. Anna scoffed at the words and began to approach the sword with more confidence. She was but a foot away from the mystical weapon; the power it was emitting practically flowed through her, invigorating every cell in her body. Anna reached out her hand, about to grasp the hilt of the Sword of Willpower. But then she stopped.

"_Are ye worthy…?" O-Of course I'm worthy, I've passed the tests…but what if I'm not…? Wait, what am I even doing! I found the most powerful weapon in existence and now I'm about to just draw it out just because! _

Anna retracted her hand, doubts were starting to swirl in her mind. What if she grasped the sword and it unleashed so much power it destroyed the castle and town in the process? What if drawing out the blade awakened something that was better left alone? What if she wasn't worthy?

_It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong…_

Thoughts of the past started to work their way to front of Anna's mind. Recalling how very wrong she was about being in love with the sadistic, cruel, manipulative Prince Hans. And more recently, how she mistook the feeling of a strong friendship for something romantic, luckily, Kristoff and Anna were able to keep their friendship even after breaking off their former romantic relationship, so it didn't end badly. But still, what if she was wrong now, both times her life and Elsa's were in the balance, and now here was another decision she had to make. Was she worthy of the sword, and if she was, was it worth it to pull the sword from the stone.

Olaf pattered up to Anna, the book tucked under his arm. He then pulled at Anna's skirt, trying to gain her attention.

"Anna, what's wrong? Isn't that the sword? Aren't you going to take it," asked Olaf.

"…N-No, Olaf, I don't think I should…"

"Oh…are you sure?"

Anna nodded her head softly, "I'm sure, besides, what am I going to do with an ancient, mystical sword," she asked with a chuckle.

"Alright, if you say so." Olaf began to look around the chamber and his eyes were drawn to the entrance. "I don't see any other way to get back up to where we were, and that place we were at didn't seem to have any trap doors that led back up to the surface."

Anna took a moment to digest the words Olaf spoke, and she realized that he was right. There really didn't seem to be any doorway or passage that led back up to the West Corridor, or anywhere to the surface for that matter. Anna then hit her forehead with the heel of her palm.

_Great, I led us down a mysterious, underground passageway, and didn't even consider how we were going to get out of here! _

"Ugh, I just assumed that if I grabbed the sword we'd be mystically whisked back to the castle, but now…"

Olaf sensed the nervousness in Anna's voice and quickly spoke to placate the situation.

"Oh, uh, don't worry Anna, you don't have to blame yourself! I'm sure there's a way out, we just have to look around," said Olaf happily.

Just then one of the walls off to their left began to glow. The insignia of the Emerald Knight appeared on the wall and in the next moment flashed. Anna and Olaf squinted from the bright light. When it faded, they were shocked to see that the same green energy vortex had appeared, as if answering their plea for an exit.

"Shall we," asked Olaf.

"We shall," answered Anna.

Without a moment's hesitation, they jumped into the swirling vortex, leaving behind the chamber, and the Sword of Willpower. A few seconds later, near the stables of Arendelle Castle, a vortex of green light opened up in the middle of the floor. The horses whinnied and neighed, startled by the sudden appearance of the vortex, even more so as Anna and Olaf came shooting out of it. They hovered, three feet in the air, before the vortex closed and they were brought back down with a hard "Omph!"

Anna slowly rose off the floor, rubbing her hindquarters from the rough landing they had received. Olaf's lower half had somehow became separated from his upper half and was now running around and bumping into the stall doors.

"Anna, could you help me catch my butt," asked Olaf.

The young Princess had to stifle a snorting laugh, both from the request Olaf made, and because of the spectacle of watching the snowman's rear run around like a chicken with its head cut off.

After about spending thirty minutes to both calm down the horses and catch Olaf's lower half, they exited the stables and found out where the vortex had thrown them. It was just within the castle walls, in the royal guard stables to be precise.

Anna and Olaf made a pact to not tell anybody about their little adventure under the castle, they didn't need to worry Elsa unnecessarily, plus, Anna felt as if she could always return back to that place. Even from this far away, she could feel the sword's power coursing through the castle. While it was intimidating, it was also made the place feel safe, well, safer. Like the castle itself would watch over them.

As Anna and Olaf walked towards the doors, Anna stopped and looked down as she took her next step. A faint image of the Emerald Knight's insignia appeared, flashing a faint green color, as if secretly telling her that she could return if she so chose.

_I can't…My decisions have put those I care about in danger too many times; I won't let that happen again…_

* * *

**A/N: Before any you say that the Green Lantern light can't heal wounds, allow me to turn your attention to one Green Lantern by the name of Simon Baz, who used the emerald light of willpower to heal his best friend Nazir and wake him from a coma. **

**And to answer another question, the weapons were forged from the essences' of the Great Spirits (a.k.a the Entities). So the weapons act as both power rings and power batteries, they are never without a charge, but don't worry this doesn't mean that they'll all be completely OP, but no spoilers beyond that. **


	5. Ch4: Party Crashers

It was here, after three days of preparation, today was the day. The Summer Solstice Festival was already well underway and the people of Arendelle were all happy to see its return. Currently the Queen of Arendelle was pacing behind the curtain, for on the other side was the balcony which overlooked the courtyard which was filled with the thousands of Arendelle citizens. Elsa was uncharacteristically scared right now, she had made many a proclamation from that balcony, but now…

"Elsa…?"

The Queen was brought out of her little pacing spell; she then looked towards the door and saw Anna standing there. She was wearing the same regal dress from during the coronation, her hair was done up into a braided bun, with her tiara holding the hairdo together. Elsa couldn't help but stare at Anna; she looked beautiful when she was dressed more like a Princess of Arendelle.

"Elsa, are you alright, you look a little nervous," asked Anna.

"Nervous, me!? Anna, please, why would I be nervous, this is hardly the first time I've done something like this," said Elsa scoffing at the absurdity of it all.

Anna stared at Elsa skeptically; she crossed her arms and gave the older sister a stern look, knowing full well that Elsa wasn't giving her the whole story. Elsa just stood there under the withering gaze of her younger sister, which was odd, since instances like this would usually be reversed. Anna continued to stare down Elsa, now becoming increasingly worried and frustrated because of her sister's silence. It was then that Elsa noticed that Anna's stern gaze became less hardened, almost sad.

"Elsa, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong. Don't shut me out again, let me help," said Anna.

The pale blonde knew that was exactly what she was doing; it was habit that was still hard to break, putting everything on her shoulders, keeping her feelings and worries bottled up, and suffering in silence. Elsa knew she needed to tell her, if this was going to be the marking of a new time in Arendelle then she needed to take the first step towards that.

"I…I'm just a bit nervous Anna, that's all."

Anna looked at her big sister quizzically, "Okay, but like you said, this isn't the first time you've done public speeches. What's different now?"

"Maybe it's because of what this day means to me, to us, and to the people. I'm doing this in order to bring back the happy and fun filled times that we used to have…"

Anna slowly approached Elsa, when she was close, she hugged Elsa. The older sister was slightly caught off guard, but reciprocated by hugging Anna as well.

"Elsa, you don't' have to worry. Everybody's forgiven you for the whole 'Eternal Winter' thing. And…this may sound cynical of me…but Elsa, I don't think there's a way for us to go back to those times…"

Elsa half pushed her little sister away and looked at her incredulously, "Anna, how could you say such –!?"

"Let me finish," Anna interrupted, "Elsa, there are some things we can't get back. Mom and Dad, those years we spent isolated and drifting apart. But, there are things we can change, like the way we were able to reconnect, and we're happier now, aren't we?"

"Yes…"

"And then there are the things we've gained. Like how now you don't have to hide your powers anymore. See Elsa, there are things you can do, and then there things you should do. We _can_ and _did_ become close again, and what we _should_ do is focus on creating new memories, fun filled ones," said Anna.

Elsa released a sigh; she then leaned forward and kissed Anna on the cheek, a quick sisterly kiss. "How is it that I'm the older sister, and Queen of Arendelle, and yet you make me feel as if I'm the younger one?"

"It's a gift," said Anna smugly.

Elsa stepped back and playfully flicked Anna on the forehead.

"Ouch!"

"Toughen up."

Anna's response was sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry at Elsa. To which Elsa giggled.

With the tension lifted as Elsa stepped up to the curtain, Anna joined her sister, standing at her right side. The two sisters each took one side of the curtain and pulled it away. It was then that they heard the fanfare of the horns playing loudly, announcing their presence. After the fanfare ended Kai cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

"Citizens of Arendelle, visitors from affair, may I introduce the rulers of our fare land, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna!"

The people down below all cheered in jubilation at the sight of their Queen and Princess. Anna hadn't done many of these public appearances, but being there, with everybody watching her, was a far cry different from during the coronation ceremony.

"Just smile and wave Anna, just smile and wave," whispered Elsa.

Anna gulped and did what Elsa said, standing atop the balcony, being stared at by hundreds – thousands of people put a little dent in the confidence she had earlier, although, with Elsa beside her, it made it just little less scary. Elsa stopped waving and Anna followed suit. She then cleared her throat and stepped closer to the balcony rail to address the people.

"People of Arendelle, as well as those who have graciously traveled to our fare kingdom, I welcome you to the first of, what I hope will be, many Summer Solstice Festivals!"

The crowd cheered and clapped their hands, showing their untied excitement and admiration for the Queen. Elsa slowly raised her hand and bade the crowd to settle. The roar of crowd became a dull murmur, and then finally silence fell.

"As many of you may or may not know, the Summer Solstice Festival used to be a fun and exciting celebration, one that Arendelle had long revered. Sadly, there was a time that we didn't celebrate it, for many years in fact…For that I'd like to apologize to you all. While it was mostly due to my wanting to hide my powers from everyone, and to keep those I cared about from being hurt by them, the adjacent reason was that my sister, Princess Anna, and I, lost our parents, the King and Queen."

A somber mood fell over the people; many of them were there for the funeral of the late King and Queen. Some were more saddened by the fact that Queen Elsa was thrust into a position of leadership at such a young age and barely given the time for a child to grieve properly. Many were sympathetic, and understood why the festival had not been reinstated.

Elsa felt pang of sadness in her heart, a layer of frost started to appear on the railing, causing her to have a mini panic attack.

_Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel!_

Anna saw what was happening and quickly went to her side, clasping her left hand over Elsa's right. Elsa looked into the eyes of her younger sibling, that smiling expression of hers helped to ease the hurt in Elsa's heart, a hurt that she knew Anna was feeling as well.

_Anna, you give me strength even when you're hurting as well. No. It's because we are both hurting that it is easy to find comfort and solace in one another_, she thought.

Elsa took a deep calming breath and smiled confidently at Anna, the frost on the rail quickly evaporated, a physical manifestation of her worries vanishing.

"But now things will be different! Arendelle will enter a new time, one of peace and happiness! While there are some things we can't change, we can focus those that we can! We can make new memories, new, happier times! And today, we've chosen the Summer Solstice Festival, the time of new beginnings, to celebrate this new chapter in Arendelle's history."

Elsa brought up her left hand and concentrated, sky blue light started to form around her hand, with ice and snow crystals materializing within the energy.

"Now, without further ado…!" Elsa pointed her left hand high over her head. "LET THE SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL BEGIN!"

The sphere of energy shot forth into the sky, whistling as it went higher and higher. Elsa clenched her fist and the sphere exploded in midair, the explosion took the form of a snowflake which shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight. What followed after were a series of whistling noises, each one was a fireworks rocket, two dozen in all that flew up into the air, they each exploded in shimmering lights that crackled and burst. Signaling to all around the festival was now underway!

"Oi, how long do we have to wait?"

"We can't make our move yet. Hans wants maximum casualties, attacking now would alert them too soon. We shall wait till the Queen and Princess are out in the open, and then it will be time."

"Better be soon, I'm gettin' tired of watin', especially with this many bleeders around, if ya catch my drift."

"I do, and you Brutus?"

"Hmmmmmm…"

* * *

Even though the festival was going on, there was still much to do from behind the scenes. Elsa was busy coordinating many of the festival's activities and entertainment. Currently the Queen of Arendelle was busy walking the through the courtyard with Kai, checking and double checking all the preparations for the bonfire, which was going to be held near the center of the town. There were some who thought that the ceremonial bonfire should be held within the castle gates, being so close to the fjord, there wouldn't be any worry about houses catching fire, especially since the trees were very dry this year, and nobody wanted a wildfire to spoil the fun. Thankfully Elsa was able to placate the worries of many by assuring if anything like a wildfire did occur that she would use her powers to quickly put them out, one of many benefits to controlling the forces of winter.

"Kai, how are we doing with the bonfire construction," asked Elsa.

"We're having the last of the logs brought in to add to the tender. Once they're installed we'll soak them in oil and have it ready to burn later tonight," said Kai.

"Good, good, and what of the dancing area, is the square clear?"

"All clear and ready to receive the multitude of people who wish to dance."

Elsa nodded, crossing out things on her mental check list._ Okay, food vendor stalls set up? Check. The game booths stocked with prizes and inspected for fairness? Check. Guards stationed strategically at key points around the festival grounds? Check. Double checked my mental check list? Check. Okay that just leaves – _

"ELSA!"

The Queen of Arendelle was snapped out of her mental check list at the sound of Anna's voice. She was confused for a few seconds, seeing some girl bound down the hall towards her and Kai, she was sure that she wasn't one of the maids or – _Holy icebergs is that Anna?! _

When the girl finally stopped before Elsa her eyes went wide. Anna wasn't wearing the dress she had on before. She was wearing leggings, black in color, dark brown boots, and dark green, short sleeved tunic, with gold embroidery. Elsa couldn't help but stare at Anna; she'd never seen her dressed like this before. To say that Elsa thought Anna was cute before was one thing, but now.

"Elsa, you there," asked Anna.

"W-Wha-What? Oh, sorry, Anna, I just…you just surprised me! I didn't expect to see you dressed like that," said Elsa.

"Well how else was I going to enjoy the festival? Today's the day when we can just be ourselves and not be beholden to our titles. Remember, this is when we can walk among the people and have fun like anyone else! And that's why I've come to rescue the damsel in distress from her constant working, and whisk her away to a land of fun!" Anna gave a slight bow before Elsa, flashing a smirk as she did so.

Elsa couldn't help her heart beating just a bit faster from the way she worded that.

"Well…I wish I could Anna, but there are still things that I –!"

Elsa was interrupted by the slight shove from her attendant Kai, the Queen stumbled a bit which prompted Anna to catch her.

"My Queen, I'll personally take care of whatever miscellaneous tasks need doing. You and the Princess should go out and enjoy yourselves." Kai watched as Elsa was about to open her mouth in protest, to which he added, "It's what your mother and father would have wanted."

That seemed to hush the Queen of Arendelle right up, and surprised Anna to boot. Anna took advantage of Elsa's stunned state, grabbed her hand and dragged her off.

"Anna wait – where are you taking me!?"

"To your room to get you out of those clothes for one," she responded.

"WHAT!?"

"So you can slip into something more comfortable, we're going to be walking around for most of the day, you don't want get all stuffy and sweaty in that heavy dress, do you," asked Anna.

After some thinking, Elsa did indeed agree that going around all day in her Queenly garb would get annoying if she was going to be moving through a crowd, also, it would attract too much attention.

"Very well…"

In the end, after what felt to Anna like hours, she was able to get her big sister to decide on an outfit for the festival, she decided go with a dress that she created with her powers, it was a simple, toned down version of her Snow Queen dress. Anna even convinced Elsa to let her hair down to complete the look, that and not many people had seen her in that way, and the few who did wouldn't recognize her right away.

* * *

After a bit of time the two finally left the castle and entered the festival grounds. The two of them walked side-by-side, Anna with her hands behind her back, walking with a happy gait and Elsa with hers folded in front of her, keeping a steady pace. Anna noticed the way her sister was walking and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Elsa, don't walk like that. You're not in the castle, so you don't have to walk like you're on your way to an important meeting," said Anna.

The elder sister raised a mischievous eyebrow, "Oh, maybe you'd like it better if I strutted through the festival and gave a little show?"

"NO! I just – I was just saying that you need to loosen up a bit; we're here to have fun, not to check on every little thing."

Elsa appeared to ponder Anna's words. For a moment she thought Elsa would just give up on the thought, but then she started to unfold her hands and let them swing freely from her sides. Her confident smile returned, giving Anna a glance from the side.

"Good."

The two sisters entered the grounds, they got a few glances from the occasional passerby, but it wasn't every day that the Queen and Princess walked around the streets like everybody else. They kept going for a few feet before Anna stopped at one of the game stalls. It was a target range; a few empty bottles lined the rows, each one with a painted bull's eye target. On the counter was a crossbow, next to it were three arrows, but the metal tip was replaced with a small, sand filled pouch. The arrow wouldn't fly very far, but it would have enough punch to knock over a bottle.

"What do you think, want to give it a shot," asked Anna.

"I've never shot a crossbow before…I don't think I'd be very good at it," said Elsa.

"Oh c'mon, one try at least, for me?"

Anna began to use the Puppy Dog Eyes of Total Submission. A deadly weapon that had a near ninety-nine-point-nine success rate, and right now, Elsa was so starting to cave in to her will. The Queen just shook her head smiling.

"Alright, alright, I give. Let's play."

"YES! Mister, how much for a game," asked Anna.

"Two krones a try, ya get three shots. Knock over two, ya get a small prize, all three and ya get a doll…" The booth operator turned around, his jaw dropped the moment he noticed Princess Anna rifle through her coin pouch. "BLAMEY! Princess Anna, Queen Elsa!

"Yes, that's us."

"Oh my god I didn't realize – please you don't have to do that Princess, it's on the house," he said.

Both Elsa and Anna glanced, uneasily, between each other.

"We have no problem paying, you needn't worry about being so formal," said Elsa.

"No-no-no I insist, please –" the game manager quickly loaded the crossbow and placed the weapon back on the counter, "have a turn, please."

Hesitantly, Elsa grabbed the crossbow. She gingerly held the weapon in one hand. Anna noticed how Elsa was struggling with holding the crossbow, after biting back a giggle or two, the younger went to help her older sister. She stepped behind Elsa and reached out with her arms.

"Here let me help you." Anna lined up her left arm with Elsa's, gently guiding it to the crossbow. "Put your left hand under the foregrip, that'll help you aim the crossbow." She then did the same with Elsa's right arm, guiding the stock to rest on her shoulder. "Keep the stock held against your shoulder; it'll steady your shots."

Although Elsa knew that this was completely innocent, she couldn't help but notice all the subtle things about Anna, like her scent, which was both fragrant and pleasant, and of course she was acutely aware of – _Stop it, Elsa! Just shoot the damn bottles!_

Elsa started to take aim with the crossbow, Anna could tell what was about to do and stepped back. Elsa then took the first shot, the arrow completely missed, missing all the rows completely and striking the ground. Anna winced at the miss.

"It's alright Anna. I still have two more shots."

The game manager loaded the next bolt and gave it back to the Queen. Elsa took aim yet again, more confident that she'd hit the bottle with this next shot. After she took careful aim Elsa shot the next arrow. Instead of hitting the ground it actually sailed towards one of the bottles, just before slipping neatly between the cracks and passing through the tarp behind the rows. The sound of glass breaking didn't help matters.

"…Well, that was discouraging…" Elsa deadpanned.

"Sir, could you reload it," asked Anna.

The game manager did as she asked and promptly handed the crossbow over to Elsa. The Queen, for the third time, took to aiming the weapon; unfortunately she was a little frustrated and fired the crossbow by mistake. This time Elsa actually hit the bull's eye, just not the one painted on the bottle. The booth attendant's eyes went wide, then cross eyed, he then fell to the ground, with his hands between his legs, gasping for air. Elsa dropped the crossbow and stared at the man with shock and shame, Anna on the other hand was doing her best to stifle her laughter.

"Oh my! I am so sorry, are you alright, do you need medical attention!?" Elsa asked panicked that she may have seriously injured the man.

"Oh no…I'm just fine…barely felt a thing."

Obviously it was a lie; the man was talking in a high falsetto, lying on the ground in a fetal position, cupping his privates which were no doubt in excruciating pain. Anna could tell that Elsa was feeling bad for doing that, so was she, but she couldn't overlook the comical aspect of the whole thing. After a couple of minutes the man was able to get back up on his feet, albeit crossed legged.

"Sir," Anna reached into her coin pouch and placed thirty krones on the counter, "If you would, please give her another chance."

"Anna!"

"Trust me."

"Yes…one moment your majesties," said the man.

After another couple of minutes to catch his breath the man was able to load another arrow into the crossbow, only this time he ducked behind the counter.

"Anna, please, I think we should leave. We caused this man enough pain," said Elsa.

"Just take aim, but don't fire."

Elsa did as she said, thinking that this whole situation was stupid. It was then that she felt Anna press against her back, grabbing onto her arms and placing her cheek close to Elsa's. The older sister started to feel that familiar racing heartbeat she often got at the most inopportune times, now being one of them.

"A-Anna what are you doing," she whispered.

"Helping you before you put someone's eye out, or shoot him in his manhood again." Anna heard Elsa groan, but she knew she was right. "Listen to me. The arrows are heavy, they'll angle low when you fire them, so they won't fly in a straight line. Wherever you're aiming for, aim just a few inches higher. Before you fire, inhale, and just as you're about to shoot exhale. But most importantly, shoot when it feels right."

It was kind of hard to concentrate with Anna this close to her. Not that this wasn't the first time she and Anna were pressed this close to each other, but then again, Elsa wasn't as aware of her hidden feelings as she was now. The Queen took aim for the center bottle on the third row, heeding her little sister's advice; Elsa angled the weapon up a few inches. She waited, feeling the weapon, and then, feeling out the moment, it was right. Elsa inhaled, and then slowly, exhaled. And with that exhale she pulled the trigger.

The arrow flew from the crossbow and, just as Anna said, the arrow angled itself downward. Yet, with every inch it moved down, it came closer and closer to the bull's eye, and not the _other _bull's eye. Elsa and Anna began to smile wider and wider till they heard it, the satisfying clink of the arrow hitting the bottle and pushing it off the shelf.

Elsa lowered the crossbow, and Anna stepped back from Elsa.

"I hit it…I hit it…! I HIT IT!" Elsa squealed in delight.

"I knew you could do it!" Anna cheered.

"Nice shot Queen Elsa," said the man.

"Um, could you, perhaps, load the next one?"

It didn't take long for the booth manager's confidence to return, after seeing Elsa hit the mark he was more than happy to do it again. Once it was loaded Elsa took aim, ready to fire. With Anna's advice still clear in her mind, she fired the second shot and hit the second bottle on lowest shelf. A third shot was ready and Elsa quickly fired the bolt, aiming and hitting the middle bottle at the top shelf.

"We have a winner," yelled the man.

After receiving her prize, which was a little doll that had a striking resemblance to a certain sister of hers. While they were walking about, Elsa couldn't help but wonder about something, Anna was a little too knowledgeable about how to use a crossbow.

"So, Anna, where exactly did you learn how to shoot a crossbow?" Elsa asked.

Anna cringed upon hearing that question, "Well…When we were, you know, not really talking to each other that much, I had to find ways to entertain myself, and keep me busy. I asked some of the guards to teach me a few things," said Anna.

Elsa looked at her little sister suspiciously, "What kind of 'things?'"

"Some sword fencing, how to shoot a bow and arrow, and a crossbow, and few punches…you know, for self-defense purposes…"

Elsa had to think that over, now that she thought about it, when Anna punched out Hans she had a seriously mean right hook. Now it made sense. It made Elsa feel guilty, forcing Anna to take on hobbies that weren't exactly Princess-like.

"I…I'm sorry Anna."

Anna was about to ask what for, but then she figured out what Elsa was getting at. Anna let out a sigh; she then brought up her hand and brought it close to Elsa's forehead. She then flicked Elsa on the forehead in, very much, the same manner she did when Elsa did it to her before the speech.

"OW! What was that for," asked Elsa.

"For saying something stupid and depressing when we're trying to have fun," said Anna.

Elsa rubbed the spot Anna flicked, but she quickly got back her happy smile.

"That hurt you know."

"Toughen up." Anna replied while smirking.

* * *

*** **Later That Night *****

The night had finally fallen, but the Summer Solstice Festival was far from over. During afternoon hours, Anna and Elsa had as much fun as humanly possible. They indulged themselves in the various foods from many stalls, some sisterly insults were thrown around, talk of weight gaining and busting out of ones dress. Said talk ended with one sister having their rear end zapped with an ice blast.

After which followed with the younger sister "accidentally" pushing the older sister's face into some apple pie, in short, Anna had started a little fight with Elsa. The Queen of Arendelle was last seen lobbing snowballs at the Princess. To Elsa's surprise, Anna was apparently very agile, more so than Elsa first thought. Eventually their little game of cat and mouse ended with Anna getting buried under a pile of snow.

Later Elsa and Anna met some the guards at the square. Elsa was given the torch to light the bonfire. Once she had the musicians that had assembled began to play very upbeat dancing music. Many people gathered in the square, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, all dancing to the beat, basked in the warm glow of the burning bonfire.

Anna had taken to dancing with a few boys, although most were some of the younger ones who had a crush on the Princess. The Princess noticed something; Elsa was just standing off to the side. Curious, Anna strolled over to her big sister, determined to find out why she wasn't joining in the fun.

"What's up," asked Anna.

"Oh nothing, why?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you haven't danced with anybody this entire time? Care to explain?"

"It's nothing really, some people just feel a little intimidated to ask. Probably afraid that if they step on my toes I'll turn them into a frozen statue," said Elsa.

Anna thought about it, and her argument did have merit. Even though they were here to have fun like anybody else, there were still going to be those who were reluctant to dance with the Queen. _Sometimes royal status can be a pain in the rear. _With that in mind Anna got an idea. She then took a few steps forward, turned, and faced Elsa. Anna then put her left arm behind her back, slid her left foot back, bowed slightly, and held out her hand.

"Elsa, would you mind dancing with me?"

Elsa couldn't help but feel the blood the rush to her cheeks, now she was able to see what Anna was doing. The way she was presenting herself was very much akin to asking a lady to dance. Elsa gulped.

"A-A-Anna, we – I mean – It's not really a good idea for us to be dancing…together I mean."

"What, why," she asked.

"Well…I mean we're obviously –!"

"We're obviously just two sisters, having fun, and joining everyone else in a little dancing. Look over there."

Anna tilted her head towards her right shoulder. Elsa looked in the direction she indicated. Near the bonfire there were children, many of whom she knew were family. Brothers dancing with sisters, sisters dancing sisters, some were older, some were younger, but this is what was happening. This is what Anna was trying to say to her, that it was okay to dance together. That no one was going to judge them for it. Seeing this eased the worries in Elsa's heart, Anna picked up on this, her smile growing wider.

"So, do you want to dance, sis," Anna asked again.

This time Elsa didn't hesitate, she slowly placed her left hand into Anna's right, smiling contently.

"I would love to, Anna."

The two sisters walked towards the bonfire as the band readied for another song. The tune was a bit fast, but not too slow, at least it didn't require them to hold hands too long or stare at each other during the dance. But stare Elsa did, a few short glances. When they would separate, and the two were left to their individual style, it allowed the elder sister to watch the younger dance, and she was captivated. Her reddish-blonde hair sheened from the light of the fire, Anna's movements were wild, but not without a particular grace, it was almost as if Elsa was watching the flames of the bonfire dance with Anna. And that was on top of her outfit, not that it was masculine, but it gave her a look of confidence and boundless strength.

Anna couldn't help but watch as Elsa danced. To say she was graceful would be a complete understatement. She moved like the wind, graceful like a snowflake, yet fierce like a winter storm. Her dress swished from side to side, Anna almost thought Elsa was off the ground. Her porcelain skin shone in the light of the fire, her icy blue eyes gleaming when she moved into the shadows. Anna couldn't help but think it, Elsa was beautiful, and watching her, seeing her like she was now, free and happy, made her heart soar, and at the same time, it skipped a beat. Anna had had this strange feeling before, it was the same feeling she had when she first met Hans, and the same one she developed when she met Kristoff, but that couldn't be true, could it?

As the music came to a close Anna and Elsa rejoined. Both holding hands, Anna would take the lead, and then switch with Elsa. Spinning and twirling, release and catch, dip, and finally pause. The music ended, but the two sisters were still close, their fingers interlocked, breathing heavily from the long dance, they pressed their foreheads against each other's, leaning on them for support, eyes closed.

"I've never had that much fun dancing before," said Elsa.

"Me neither, you were great out there," said Anna.

It eventually occurred to the duo that they may need to separate right about now, less their proximity be called into question. And separate they did, Elsa cleared her throat and patted her dress free of dust, while Anna cleared away some bangs that were in her face and straightened her tunic.

Suddenly they started to hear clapping, the Queen and Princess looked towards the crowd but they seemed just as confused as they were. Soon the source of the clapping made itself known. A bald man with a scar on his face separated himself from the crowd.

"Very nice dancing, lovely music, all in all it's a very fun festival your majesties," said the bald man.

"Um…thank you, sir," said Anna.

"Gotta say, this is my first time to Arendelle, really is a nice place. Shame it's goin' to burn to the ground."

"Excuse me, what was that?!" Elsa asked incredulously.

"Sorry, my colleague can be blunt, and knows not the meaning of the words 'tact' and 'subtly.'"

The crowd's attention, as well as Anna and Elsa's, was drawn to another man who was walking from behind the bonfire. He had long black hair, and a shaggy black beard.

"What he is saying is that Arendelle's halcyon days are but a faint echo in the roar of the coming storm," said the bearded man.

Elsa was becoming noticeably agitated by the two men, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "Enough, guards, please take these two into custody. They've obviously had too much to drink, take them to the temporary holding cells until they are sober."

The royal guards started to file through the crowd and move towards the scarred man. But they never made it. A large, muscular man intercepted the two guards and blocked their path. Before they could udder a word, the large man raised his arms up and brought them down hard on the first guard, striking his collarbone and shattering everything in that area. The guard collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out his mouth.

The second guard went to draw his sword, but the large man saw him. He then swung his left arm at the second guard, nailing him in the left side of his face, sending the guard flying over the crowd and into a stall. The crowd gasped in horror, witnessing this man murder two guards in nearly the blink of an eye. The two men joined the third one, smiling wickedly.

"Nice job Brutus. Oi, Rudolf, complement the man on a good job," said the bald man.

"Effective, very effective," said Rudolf.

"Hmmm," groaned Brutus.

"Let's get things started Felix."

"Yeah, let's have a little fun!"

Elsa stepped in front of Anna, her expression fierce, hands ignited with sky-blue light, fully prepared to freeze the three assailants where they stood. Just then all three men took out a blood red, ruby crystal. They then ripped off their shirts and placed the crystal against their hearts. The crystals began to shine with an eerie red light, the thumping sound of a heartbeat echoed loudly through the air. As one, the three men chanted together.

"With blood and rage of crimson red,  
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,  
Together with our hellish hate,  
We'll burn you all – that is your fate!"

Suddenly all three men were wrapped in an aura of powerful crimson light. The crystals began to fuse to their chests; their veins glowed beneath their skin. The bodies began to increase in size, muscles bulged, and skin tightened, their eye color changed to a dark red. Their mouths started drip blood, the droplets hissing as soon as they touched the ground. Before they knew it, the two men had become something else, monsters, Berserkers.

Rudolf's shaggy hair and beard were bellowing like flames, giving him a fierce Wildman appearance. Though his physique matched that of Brutus' post transformation, but it was more streamlined, and lean. Rudolf raised both of his arms up to eye level, the red gem shined as energy flowed towards his hands. Immediately gauntlets made of red light appeared, each finger was a razor sharp claw.

Felix was the same, as far as physique, but around his arm a chain made of light was coiled up and down it. Connected to the chain, held in his right hand, was large hook weapon, with a sharp point and a serrated edge. In his left hand he held a butcher's cleaver, the blade and handle were twice the normal size, and also made of the red light.

Brutus hadn't changed much, except that he had grown a couple of feet, and was now a hulking mass of muscle. No light weapons were on him, probably due to the fact that he didn't need them, with his raw strength, the red power only took what was there and enhanced it.

"Now it's time for the real party to start!"

Brutus stepped forward; he stared down the Queen and Princess, but instead turned his attention towards a small group of people to his left. He then arched his head back and in the next moment opened his mouth, unleashing a burning, fiery, liquid substance from his mouth. The plasmatic blaze struck the group of five, screams of pain and agony echoed through the air, and just as quickly, they were silent. A pool of melting flesh and bone collected where they once stood, as well as a trail of burnt ground leading towards Brutus. The building and stalls that once stood, were now gone, what was left was still melting into a gooey puddle.

Anna and Elsa watched in stunned horror. They're festival of fun and new beginnings was now about to turn into a bloodbath.


	6. Ch5: Beware My Power

Anna's head was spinning. She could hear noises, people screaming and the rushing of wind. She felt things too, heat, a thumping in her head, cold. Most importantly she could hear a voice calling out to her, calling her name over and over again, Anna…Anna…

"Anna! ANNA!"

The Princess snapped out of her daze and quickly placed her hands on her head, feeling like someone beat her over the head with a club. Anna took a look around and watched, horrified by the sight.

Elsa was engaged with Brutus, using her powers to freeze him where he stood. Yet no matter how much ice she encased him in, the hulking brut would just bust out of it, sending large chunks of ice flying in many different directions.

Elsa's head snapped to the left, watching as Felix used his chain and hook to capture a man who was running for his life. The hook caught in his collarbone, Felix then tugged on the chain, making it whiplash backwards towards him, dragging the man with it. Once he was close, Felix used his cleaver to slice the man in two; blood showered the area, bathing him in the scarlet life essence.

Anna heard screaming from her right. The fiery mane of Rudolf shone in the dark of the night. He was slicing through almost everybody he was near, taking special interest in the women, and doing so with such sadistic and wicked glee.

Elsa watched as Brutus was about to charge them, but she acted fast. The Snow Queen created a sphere of icy energy between her palms; she then lifted it overhead and threw it at the Berserker! The sphere struck Brutus in the face and solidified on impact, surrounding his head in diamond hard ice. Brutus stopped in his tracks and started to bash at the ice to free himself.

While he was busy, Elsa turned her attention to Felix. Believing that one good turn deserved another, Elsa used her powers to create a whip forged of snow and ice. The whip slithered forth and wrapped itself around his right leg.

"What the bloody hell –!?"

Before he could finish that sentence Elsa, drew back her arm and flung the whip to the side. The motion carried Felix, taking him off his feet, and into the air. Elsa twirled the whip around before whipping downwards. Felix spun around and then was carried all the way till he smashed into a nearby building.

Not wanting to lose the momentum, Elsa swiped her hands in front of her, creating ice shards that whistled through the air. Their target was Rudolf, who, at that last moment, noticed the icy projectiles. He started slashing at the shards with his claws. Rudolf managed to destroy a few, but not all, some found their home in his left thigh, chest, and arms. Still, Elsa did not let up, she continued to swipe her hands through the air, back and forth, left to right, flinging more and more shards, not wanting to give this murderess scum a chance to retaliate. With one loud cry, Elsa summoned a blustering cold wind and launched it at Rudolf. The wind hit him like a ton of bricks, sending him flying into a shop.

Anna dazedly stood up, complete awestruck at her sister's fighting abilities using her wintery powers. Elsa finally took notice of Anna and quickly rushed to her side. Once she was there, the Queen enveloped her in fierce hug.

"Anna, thank god you're alright," she cried.

"I'd be doing better…if you weren't squeezing the life out of me," said Anna straining to breathe.

Elsa quickly released her younger sister, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, but what happened?! The last thing I remember is that big guy breathing fire-blood, and then you hitting him with ice, and then…nothing!" Anna rambled.

"When I first hit him with the ice, he broke it apart and sent some of the ice fragments flying. One of them hit your head and I feared the worst. Are you alright?" Elsa asked.

"I'm fine, my head hurts, but that's it. We have to stop them just let me find a weapon and –"

"No you're not, Anna! You're going to run back to the castle, get as many people as you can inside, and then close the gates!"

"And just what are you going…" Anna stopped, she stared into Elsa's eyes, there was fury in them, a storm of rage, born out the murder of the citizens, and the drive to protect her family. "Elsa y-you can't! You can't take those guys on your own!"

"There's no other way, Anna! I'm the only one who can stop them and I can't fight to my fullest if I'm too busy protecting you! NOW GO!" Elsa's order carried with it the strength of storm, nearly blowing Anna back.

Anna wanted to argue this, but she knew that it wasn't wise to do so now. She hated this, feeling helpless and useless, being in the way instead of helping out. But…there was another way. _THE SWORD!_

"Elsa, hold out as long as you can, I'll be back to help!"

"ANNA!"

She didn't give her time to ask any questions. Anna ran off down the street, she knew what needed to be done. There was only one way to help Elsa and save the people, and it lied under Arendelle castle.

Unfortunately, her escape did not go unnoticed. Brutus caught a glimpse of the Princess, he called upon the rage power deep inside. Suddenly the ice encasing his head began to crack. With a great roar, Brutus bellowed out his blood-fire, melting and shattering the ice. He then turned in the direction that Anna went and took off after her.

"No you don't!" Elsa brought up her hands and prepared to unleash a powerful ice blast.

At that moment two streams of blood-fire rained down in front of her. The streams crisscrossed back and forth, cutting off Elsa's line of sight. Just then Felix and Rudolf landed a few feet from her. Felix was twirling his hook in his hand playfully, and smiling at Elsa. Rudolf's wounds from the ice shards were starting to close, but he seemed fine, he didn't even notice the pain.

"Where do ya think your goin' queeny?" Felix asked.

"Yes, indeed, we're just getting started," said Rudolf.

Elsa took a defensive stance, her hands blazing with sky-blue light, eyes narrowed in anger. _Anna, run as fast as you can! _

* * *

Anna ran down the streets as fast as she could, weaving in and out of the multitudes of people scrambling to get to the castle for safety. Royal guards were posted at different locations, directing the traffic and guiding them towards the gates. Just then Anna heard something, a crash and then a scream. She turned her head to look over her shoulder and gasped in horror.

Brutus, the hulking Berserker, was smashing through literally everything that got in his way. Anna saw that his red eyes were locked right on her; she knew instantly that he was chasing after her, but why? Why was he so adamant about chasing her? Not wanting to stick around long enough to ponder the question, Anna broke into a sprint.

Brutus noticed her acceleration and began to sprint himself. Some of the royal guards started to fire crossbow bolts at the giant. Each one hit its mark, but the lumbering beast kept moving as if nothing had happened. The guards then drew their swords and brandished their spears, prepared to give their lives for their Princess. But it was all in vain; Brutus opened his maw yet again and unleashed a torrent of blood-fire at them. Screams of agony were once again prevalent in the air, along with shrieks of terror.

Anna skidded to a halt. In the distance she could see the large gates of Arendelle Castle, and behind her, was the Berserker known as Brutus, continuing his slaughter as he raced towards Anna's position. The ginger girl knew that even if she did get to the castle, there was no guarantee that she would be able to call upon the power, plus, she would be leading the monster right to the people where he'd no doubt massacre them all.

Steeling her nerves, Anna turned towards Brutus and flashed him a cocky smile. "HEY UGLY!" Anna shouted, "YOU WANT ME, COME AND GET ME!?"

Anna started to run down another street, away from the palace. Brutus took the bait and quickly jumped over the guards, he landed in the same spot Anna was standing. He then turned his head to the right and saw the retreating form of the Princess. His prey in sight, Brutus took off after her, the ground beneath his feet crumbling from the force of his take off.

_Okay Anna, you got the attention of the giant, psycho killer! What the hell was step two!? _

Anna continued to run, it was the only thing she could do. Without the Sword of Willpower and with conventional means of fighting proving to be ineffective against this blood crazed, muscle-bound murderer, she was left with very few options. Anna decided to just try and lose him.

Anna ducked down one street. Brutus ran faster and skidded into the turn. The Princess yet again made another turn, using her quickness and agility to zigzag from one street to another. Brutus was showing signs of becoming increasingly agitated by the Princesses quick movements. When Anna turned another corner, the last thing she saw was Brutus stopping in his tracks. She breathed a sigh of relief.

_Thank god, he gave up! Now I just need to hurry back to the castle and –!_

A few feet in front of her a roaring blast of burning liquid flames burst through one of the buildings. Anna fell backwards onto her rear as she came to quick stop; she stared in shock as Brutus jumped out of the hole he had melted through the building and glared at Anna.

_He bore a hole through the buildings with that blood spit of his!? You've got to be kidding me! Okay, change of tactics!_

Anna quickly got up and sprinted once again in another direction. Brutus grunted in frustration from the chase, but nonetheless, he pursued her. Anna knew she had to lose him quick if she was going to be of any help in getting rid of him and his two blood spewing friends. That's when she saw it, a way to lose him.

Anna hurriedly went down an alleyway. The entrance was wide, but as it got closer to the end it became narrower and narrower. The spirited Princess ran through the alley, and just as planned, Brutus was right behind her. She then watched as Brutus tried to push his massive body through the increasingly narrow passageway, Anna was starting to feel cramped herself, but she still had enough manageable room to get out. Still, it was one long sprint to the end, and with no way to dodge, Anna was a setting duck. Brutus had tried to reach out and grab Anna, but at the last moment his body got wedged between both sides of the building, holding him in place and halting his advance. The muscular Berserker tried to push his way forward, but he could barely move and inch.

Anna was almost there, just another couple of feet and she'd be safe. But that's when she heard it, the familiar rumble of the blood-fire. She glanced behind her and saw as a rush of liquid-flame came roaring at her. Anna sprinted even faster to the end; she dove straight for the exit and rolled to a stop on the ground. Picking herself up, she jumped to the side and watched as the attack burned through the exit and hit a shop.

Anna panted hard, nearly out of breath, her legs ached from the constant running, and her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. Yet her plan seemed to be working. Anna started to move in the direction of the castle, her legs felt as if they were made of stone, not wanting to move in the slightest. But through sheer force of will she was able to keep going.

_Okay…okay, need to – need to get to the castle. C'mon legs, just a little bit more…_

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!"

The ground started to rumble and shake. The alley where Anna left Brutus started to glow crimson red, and in the next moment, a giant burst of red light and energy roared to life. It was an expanding dome of power that consumed the two adjacent building. Just then the dome quickly shrank. A beam of red light erupted into a pillar. The ground beneath Anna's feet started to show cracks of light the spider webbed through the ground. The cracks of light began to shine brighter and brighter, building in intensity.

"OH CRAP!" Anna yelled.

Catching her second wind, Anna ran for dear life. The light shined till the pillar exploded outwards, the cracks acted as channels to direct the power of the explosion, and Anna could tell that it was gaining on her. At the last moment, a gust of wind from the explosion threw her forward, and thankfully, just out of reach of the main detonation.

Anna tumbled about on the ground, her body aching all over. She propped herself up on her elbows, trying to see what had happened. Her jaw fell open from the sight, the shops, the houses, literally everything in a twenty yard radius was completely gone; a smoldering crater was the only thing that was left, that, and Brutus, who stood at the epicenter.

The Berserker jumped out the crater and landed at the outer edge. He walked towards Anna who was still lying on the ground, taking his time, knowing full well that his prey was exhausted, and that he was still in prime condition. Despite the dismal situation, Anna never lost that defiant look in her eyes, that angry, determined scowl which was not prepared to give up even in her current state. Brutus seemed to smile, or what passed for a smile with him, seeing the Princess like this was amusing.

"If you think I'll beg for my life, you can forget it," hissed Anna.

"Hmmmm," grunted Brutus.

He then started to reach out with his large meaty hands, Anna shrunk away, trying to become as small as possible. Just then something was thrown at Brutus. The object hit against his face and shattered into pieces. The muscular brute sputtered and spat, whatever shattered on his face contained some kind of slimy liquid. Anna recognized this, it smelled exactly like, "Oil?"

"IN SUMMMER~!"

Anna turned towards the sound and watched as Olaf came running like a madman, or mad snowman, his flaming left arm being carried in his right hand. Olaf then chucked his fiery appendage, hitting Brutus and igniting the oil. Brutus' entire upper body was engulfed in flames; he then screamed and roared into the night in pain as his body burned. Olaf then jumped and slammed his body against Brutus' hip, giving the lumbering monster enough of a nudge to fall backwards into the crater. Brutus rolled down the crater, still screaming as the fire continued to burn his flesh.

Olaf quickly waddled over to Anna, concern plastered on his face.

"Anna, are you alright!?"

"Y-Yeah I'm alright, Olaf," said Anna, still in awe at what the little snowman did.

"What's going on, people were running in the streets, and screaming things like 'monsters' and 'killers!?'"

Anna rose to her feet, her body was sore all over, and her legs felt numb, but still, she knew this wasn't the time to rest.

"C'mon Olaf, we need to go!"

"To where," asked Olaf.

"To the castle, I'll explain along the way! Now let's go," she ordered.

Olaf's stunt bought them the time they needed to run as far as they could from Brutus. Anna was never so happy in her life to see those giant gates close, though she knew it would do little good against those three. Anna and Olaf walked through the crowd of refugees who made it into the castle courtyard. Some were severely injured, others were huddled in corners, rocking back and forth and muttering to themselves obviously in shock at what they witnessed.

Anna was able to make it to one of the guards who seemed surprised by her state.

"Princess Anna, you're hurt, please lie down and I'll fetch you some help," said the guard.

"Not right now. I need to know, is my sister still fighting those monsters!?"

"But Princess you should –!"

"TELL ME!" Anna ordered.

The guard gulped, seeing the fury in her eyes.

"I was told recently that they're still spotting the ice and snow, the fighting seems to be contained near the center of the town, but I'm not sure of how it's faring for her."

_As long as she's alive, that means it's still not too late to save her_, thought Anna.

"Thank you, see to it that the gates are defended, and get these people some medical attention! That's an order, now go!"

"Yes your highness!" The guard saluted his Princess and ran off to relay the orders to the other guards.

"Now what Anna," asked Olaf.

"Now…I got to go see a stone about a sword…"

Anna hurried into the castle. She made her way into the ballroom, thinking that there would be no one in there. Olaf helped the Princess to close the doors behind them, he then watched as Anna walked towards the center of the ballroom. She then dropped to one knee and placed the flat of her right hand against the floor, closing her eyes and taking in deep calming breaths.

Anna concentrated, trying to connect back to the Sword's power. It didn't take long for her to establish the connection. Anna could already feel the power of will flow through her, the fatigue she felt earlier seemed to melt away, rejuvenating her from the inside out.

"Anna…?"

She opened her eyes and saw Olaf standing a few feet away. Anna wondered why he hadn't come closer, but that's when she noticed it. Below her the insignia of the Emerald Knight was shining brightly.

"It's okay Olaf; I'm going back to that place. I'm going to get that sword and save Elsa from those…those things!"

"A-Are you sure," asked Olaf concerned.

"I am," she smiled at the snowman, trying to comfort him the best she could. She then closed her eyes yet again and the symbol shined with greater intensity.

_Take me to that place._

The insignia shined with blinding green light, Olaf shut his eyes, unable to look directly at it. When next he opened he opened them, Anna was gone.

* * *

The ride was smoother than before, in fact, when Anna opened her eyes, she found herself inside the chamber. Anna eyes rested upon the Sword of Willpower. Anna knew what she had to do, up above Elsa was fighting alone, against three monsters. The choice was obvious. Anna walked towards the sword and reached out to grab it, but that's when she saw it, the glowing words above the mystical weapon.

"**Are ye worthy…?"**

There it was again, that same phrase. It was the one thing that kept Anna from grasping the sword the first time. Anna wasn't convinced that she didn't need to draw out the sword, not at first. Who was she to wield such a powerful weapon? Anna was no great warrior, nor was she exactly the bravest of heroes. Though some would argue that her going after Elsa during the Eternal Winter was the pinnacle of heroism, but honestly, it was just a concerned sister chasing after another sibling who needed help.

Though, when she thought back to Hans almost killing Elsa, the raised sword about to cut her down, it was the love for her sister that drove Anna to protect Elsa. She didn't know that her frozen body would shatter his blade; the best she had hoped she could do was to provide a distraction, or even become a temporary shield to allow Elsa enough time to get away or retaliate. Anna certainly did know that she'd live.

But now, here it was again. Elsa's life was in danger; everybody's lives were in danger. And right here, right now, Anna needed to make a choice. To take hold the Sword of Willpower, and become the Emerald Knight, or stand aside and let Elsa fight the battle alone against the Berserkers. The answer was clear. Anna strode up to the stone; the words once again appeared over the Sword, as if asking one last time if she was certain in her choice.

"**Are ye worthy…?"**

"I am!"

Anna grabbed hold of the Sword of Willpower with both hands. The weapon glowed with fierce power radiating from it. It was then that Anna heard a voice call out in her mind, it was strong, and yet gentle.

_**Anna of Earth, you have the ability to overcome great fear! **_

The power surged through Anna, charging every cell within her very being, making her one with the collective will of nearly every living thing. The blue in her eyes started to give way to a shimmering green. The Sword's energy started to swirl around Anna's body, and as it did, something entered her mind, a phrase – no – an oath, of this she was sure. She remembered how the Berserkers chanted some kind of oath before they transformed, maybe, she speculated, it was the same for the sword.

"_**In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night,  
No evil shall escape my sight.  
Let those who worship evil's might,  
Beware my power, will's grand light!"**_

Anna's body erupted into a giant green pillar of light. The pillar shot up all the way through Arendelle castle, startling the servants and causing the guards to panic. The column of light went all the way till it collected into a star above the castle. The emerald star then shot forth, streaking in the night towards the battle where the ice and fire dueled.

* * *

The entire area was a disaster zone. Melted buildings, giant glaciers jutting from the ground, oh yeah, and a little fire that was raging through some shops and houses, added to the dismembered bodies that still littered the ground, the whole thing was horrible.

Elsa was getting exhausted. Her dress was tattered and torn; the skirt was purposefully torn to make it shorter. Elsa found it easier to move when she wasn't tripping over it. Right now, the Snow Queen was clutching her left arm, blood seeping from a cut she received during the fight. Both Felix and Rudolf were in defensive stances, waiting for one or the other to make a move. Elsa had shown these two that she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

The two killers shared a glance between them. Elsa saw the looks in their eyes and thrust her arms in front of her. Rudolf and Felix unleashed a twin blast of blood-fire. Elsa countered them with an icy blast. The two attacks collided in the center with a massive concussive thud. Elsa's irises glowed with pale blue light as she channeled her energy into the attack. The two beams struggled against each other, Elsa's would gain ground, but then the Berserkers would push back and she would lose it again.

_Now's not the time to hold back! No one's around, pour it on, Elsa, LET IT GO!_

With a loud battle cry, Elsa unleashed the full force of her winter powers. The icy blast quadrupled in size and forced the blood-fire attack back, the ground started to get covered in a layer of ice and frost. Rudolf and Felix were becoming noticeably worried, both because they did not know how much longer they could keep spewing their blood-fire and Elsa's attack was dangerously close to swallowing them both in an icy prison.

Just then Brutus landed with a giant crash, breaking the ground upon landing. He noticed what was happening to his comrades and stepped in between them. He then lurched back and bellowed out his own blood-fire, the three attacks became one and pushed back Elsa's. They were once again at the center, but now the energy was collecting, building to a mass. After another few seconds the mass exploded outwards, the resulting shockwave released a deluge of steam that blanketed the area.

"Great, now where…?"

Suddenly a red chain shot forth from the steam and wrapped itself around her right arm. Another lashed out and coiled itself around her left arm. Elsa felt as the chains pulled taut, keeping her arms extended up and outwards painfully. When the steam cleared Elsa saw that Felix's chain had split off and grew two extra lengths from the main one that held fast to his right arm.

"Coulda cut it a little closer there, Brutus, queeny here is a little stronger than we thought," said Felix.

"Where's the Princess," asked Rudolf.

"Hmmm…"

"Seriously, that little bitch should have been easy for you to catch!"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT ANNA LIKE THAT!" Elsa roared.

All three Berserkers turned to the Snow Queen who was struggling against her chains. Rudolf was the one who stepped toward her, smiling wickedly, knowing she was helpless to fight back.

"Queen Elsa, as much fun as sparring with you has been, it's about time I delivered my message," said Rudolf.

"And what message is that," she growled.

Rudolf smiled, leaning close so that he right up next to Elsa's right ear. "The Crimson Warlord, King Hans himself, sends his regards, and his condolences."

Elsa's eyes went wide with surprise upon hearing that name. Rudolf stepped back a bit, looking very pleased.

"Alright Felix, take her head so that we can get the Princess."

"Oh yeah, I've been watin' to cut this little beauty up all damn day!" Felix said. "No ice powers while your pretty little hands are tied up, maybe I should cut them off first, not my usual kind of trophy, but considerin' it's you, I'll make an exception."

Felix made his way closer to Elsa, his cleaver radiated with crimson light, ready for the kill. But Elsa wasn't completely defenseless, when Felix got close enough; the Snow Queen raised her right foot and stomped down on the ground. The image of a snowflake appeared, it grew out, encompassing a thirty meter radius. Felix, Rudolf, and Brutus all stared at the ground in surprise. Suddenly jagged ice spikes shot forth from the ground.

The ones closest to Elsa slashed through the red chains holding her arms, freeing her from her bonds. Felix brought up his arms in an effort to protect himself, the spikes slashed at his body, one of them pierced his left leg, pinning him in place. Rudolf used his claws to slash through the spikes that jutted towards him, too busy to notice the other spike that rose up and sliced off his right arm. Rudolf dropped to one knee and roared in pain, clutching at his bleeding gash.

Brutus was different, he didn't move, six spikes went through his feet, eight pierced into his abdomen, while another ten went into his right and left arms, propping them up. Elsa rubbed her wrists and forearms, parts of her arms were bruised and slightly red.

"You may have immobilized my arms, but you not my legs." Elsa raised her right arm into the air and opened her palm. Sky blue energy started to collect into a sphere of ice and snow crystals, swirling about at a rapid pace. "You've killed innocent people, threatened my kingdom, and attempted to kill me and my sister! As Queen of Arendelle, I will not let your crimes go unpunished!"

Suddenly all three Berserker's eyes lit up with scarlet light. As one their bodies erupted with a powerful crimson energy, the ice that had pierced Felix and Brutus shattered like fragile glass. Rudolf's severed arm started to secrete blood at the same time as his wound, the two blood streams latched onto each other, and Rudolf's arm was drawn back and latched onto his body. The red light that flowed through his veins collected and seared the wound closed.

Elsa quickly launched her ice ball at the three Berserkers. Brutus rushed to the front, bringing up his forearms to form an X. Elsa's attack impacted against Brutus' block; a thin layer of red light covered his body, acting as a shield. Rudolf jumped up from behind Brutus; to his right hand he formed a construct, a red knife. Rudolf then threw the dagger right at Elsa.

The Snow Queen tried to dodge the weapon, but she was not quick enough. The blade found itself lodged in Elsa's left side, piercing all the way till it protruded on the other side. She gasped at the pain, Elsa dropped to one knee as the pain of the stab radiated through her. The dagger disappeared, the wound open. Blood started to seep from the stab; Elsa placed her left hand over the bleeding wound, wincing from the pain.

"Great, ya missed Rudolf," said Felix, twirling his hook and chain. "But I won't!"

Elsa could feel herself slipping, she hated this, as powerful as she was, these monsters were stronger. Was this it, was this the limit to her powers. She was going to die here, on the day that everything was supposed to be better, on the day when she was going to have fun with Anna. _Anna…I'd rather see you one last time…then see these ugly monsters at my last moments…_

Just then the entire area was bathed in green light. Elsa and the Berserkers looked up into the sky; a bright green star appeared overhead. Soon the star descended, landing violently a few feet from them. The shockwave blew up smoke and dust the blanketed the area. A shadow began to rise out of the crater and slowly walked towards them.

"Ouch! Well that hurt! Definitely gonna have to work on my landings," said a voice.

"Who the hell is talking, Brutus, clear the smoke will ya," said Felix.

Brutus pulled back his arms and quickly clapped his hands together, the result of which created a powerful shockwave that blew away the smoke and dust, revealing the newcomer.

She was dressed in green armor, with a kind of black mesh chainmail that protected the gaps. Upon her chest was an insignia, a circle in the center, with a horizontal bar below and above it, all three glowed with intense energy. Around her waist was a belt made of green light, along with a sheath that housed a sword. A long cape flowed behind her, the ends attached to the pauldrons on each shoulder. A helmet protected the entire head, on the sides of the helmet were metal wings arched back and flared. The mouth plate was white as snow, a vertical slit indicated that it could open and close. Finally the eyes, the eyes of the helmet glowed with the same emerald light the insignia, but whether that was glass or the wearers own eyes was undetermined.

The warrior was currently rubbing the back of her head, and slouching a bit, but stopped the moment she saw Elsa. The knight then broke into a sprint, sliding up next to Elsa. The mouth plate suddenly opened, allowing the knight to talk.

"Elsa what happened to you!? You're bleeding, oh my god! Just try not to move around," said the knight.

"W-Who are you…?" Elsa asked.

"What, it's me – oh wait, the helmet, I completely about the helmet!"

In a matter of seconds the helmet shimmered and then faded away, revealing the knight's identity. If Elsa wasn't in pain and lightheaded from the loss of blood she might've been more shocked than she was now.

"A-Anna!? Wha – I-I don't understand, how are you –!"

"It's okay, just rest," Anna rose up and stared at the three Berserkers, "I'll take it from here."

Anna strode up to the three killers, Elsa wanted to yell and scream, to tell Anna to run away, but right now she wasn't in the best condition to say that, all she could do was hope and pray that her little sister would be alright.

Felix stepped up and pointed his cleaver at Anna, "Princess, who the bloody hell are you supposed to be in that getup?"

"Humph," Anna placed her right hand on her sword, she then quickly drew the weapon, the sheath vanishing as she did so. "I am the one who's going to end this slaughter, the one who will make you pay for what you've done here!" Anna then grasped the Sword of Willpower with both hands and held it in front of her; she then assumed a combative stance. "I am Princess Anna of Arendelle, the Emerald Knight!"

Felix smirked; he then twirled his hook around and threw it at the Princess. Anna's helmet immediately reappeared, her eyes shining with power. As the hook sailed towards Anna, she ducked to the right, easily dodging the weapon. She then spun around and brought down her blade on the red chain link, severing it and shattering the construct. Felix recoiled from the destruction of his weapon, the chain was having some trouble reforming, something that surprised the killer.

"What the – how did she do that!?"

"Change of plans, attack the Princess!" Rudolf ordered.

The Wildman Berserker charged for Anna, recreating his right gauntlet claw. Anna assumed a defensive stance and prepared to fight Rudolf. The fiery haired Berserker swiped at Anna with his claws, she intercepted each attack with the flat of her sword, deflecting them as they struck.

The strikes rang out against the metal of the sword with resounding force. Elsa could feel every blow from the pressure waves, yet Anna and Rudolf didn't seem to feel it.

Anna missed one of the swipes and Rudolf's claws swiped at her chest plate. As if by reflex her body became enveloped in a thin layer of green energy. Rudolf's claws made contact with the armor, the sound scrapping metal echoed loudly for a few seconds before the claws veered away. Anna balled up her left fist, green light started swirl around it and solidify into something. She then struck Rudolf in his right cheek, burying her fist into his face and forcing him into the ground. The result of which created a crater.

The Emerald Knight jumped back a few feet. She then looked at her left hand and gasped in surprise. Her entire forearm was encased in a gauntlet made of light; the knuckles were large studs the protruded outwards and fingers that were jagged plate armor. Anna flexed the fingers of the gauntlet, it was weird. Although it wasn't her normal hand, it felt natural, but she still had no idea how it got there. After a few short seconds the construct dissipated into nothing.

_How the heck did I do that_, thought Anna.

"RAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!"

Brutus rushed towards Anna; his right fist was cocked back, preparing to strike Anna. She quickly brought up her sword and braced her palm against the flat, readying to intercept the blow with the sword. Suddenly the Sword of Willpower glowed; fragments of green light appeared a couple of feet in front of her. The fragments swirled about and transformed into a shield, bearing the Emerald Knight insignia. Brutus' fist was flaring with red energy; he thrust out his fist and punched the shield. Red and green light clashed at that moment, Brutus tried to punch through the shield, but it would not yield.

Anna let out powerful roar and swiped her arms. The energy pushed back Brutus, throwing him into the air and into a building. Anna once again stood there dumbfounded. Another strange light creation appeared before her again, yet she still had no clue how it was happening.

"SCREW HANS' ORDERS, WE'RE KILLING HER NOW!" Felix shouted.

Anna turned her head and watched as Felix was dropping out of the air with an overhead strike of his cleaver. The Emerald Knight grasped the hilt with both hands and swung upwards. The two weapons clashed as sparks flew from the contact of both blades. Felix landed on the ground and resumed his assault on Anna, swinging his cleaver furiously. Anna swung back, deflecting a vertical slash, and then striking back. Felix blocked the blow. He pushed Anna's blade away, and swung horizontally. Anna raised her left arm and blocked the cleaver blade with her forearm; her feet skidded and sparked as she held her spot.

Felix once again brought down his blade for another overhead strike. Anna met him with the same attack, the two blades met in the middle, neither one budging, Felix and Anna both trying to overpower each other. Just then Anna sensed something, she turned her head and watched as Rudolf was about to deliver a blow with his claws. With her blade currently fending off Felix's, she had no way to block the sneak attack. She needed to block it, she needed to dodge it!

_I need help dammit! _

All of a sudden emerald light appeared between Anna and Rudolf. The light transformed, becoming a knight, it was clad in armor, wielding a greatsword. The knight construct swung at Felix, catching his claws with its blade.

Anna didn't understand. This was the third time now. It was then that it all started to come together. When she wanted to block the attack, a shield appeared. When she wanted to punch that guy with the claws, a giant gauntlet formed around her arm. And just now when she wanted help, a knight made of light flashed into existence and blocked the attack. Anna now understood what the first test was talking about.

_I _will _these things into existence! If I think about it, I can make it real! _

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

A giant blast of blood-fire shot forth from the building where Brutus was thrown. The blast was heading towards Elsa, the elder sister saw the attack, but there was no way for her to move. Anna called upon her power, the sword glowed, and her aura shimmered. She then pushed her sword against Felix's cleaver, pushing him back a great distance. Anna then thrust out her open palm towards Elsa. A barrier of emerald light surrounded her sister, the plasmatic flame washed over the barrier, hissing from the contact. Anna willed the barrier to expand; the semi-sphere grew in size till the plasma was but a trickling stream against its vast expanse.

Brutus ceased his attack and growled angrily at Anna. Rudolf disengaged with the construct knight and rejoined the hulking Berserker. Felix did the same, all three assembled, and looking very miffed that they were being bested by a petite, teen girl.

"Hans didn't say anythin' about this! This was not what we signed up for!" Felix shouted.

"There's nothing to it anymore. We need to strike at the same time, as powerful as she is, taking all three of us at once won't be easy," said Rudolf.

"Rargh," agreed Brutus.

Anna knew she couldn't hold these guys off too easily, but she could delay them. She closed her eyes, concentrating. Anna needed warriors who could keep them occupied without engaging them one-on-one. The young Princess delved into her mind, delving into the memories of stories of long ago. Anna had the image in her mind, the blade of the Sword of Willpower flared, and instantly, three new constructs appeared.

Each construct was the same. They each wielded a long bow, with an arrow notched into it. Their faces were angular, with pointed ears, and sharp eyes. Anna realized that she had just created elven archers; she raised her sword into the air.

"Archers take aim!" Anna ordered.

All three of the elf constructs drew back their arrows, each one trained on a specific Berserker.

"FIRE," ordered Anna as she brought down her sword.

The three elven archers fired their arrows, the projectiles blazed through the air as they made their way towards their targets. Too quick to dodge, the arrows hit their marks and exploded on impact. The three Berserkers stumbled backwards from the impact. Anna noticed this and knew what she had to do.

"FIRE AT WILL!"

The elf constructs drew back on their bowstrings, an arrow appeared and they fired them, in less than five seconds the elf constructs loosed thirty arrows. A storm of blazing emerald arrows flew straight for the Berserkers, pelting them in a barrage of explosions, one right after the other. Anna knew she had to end this fight now, or risk losing Elsa and drag more innocent lives into this fight.

Anna concentrated yet again, her aura shimmered brighter, and in no time she was starting to levitate off the ground. Anna was now hovering twenty feet in the air, she wobbled around a bit, not completely used to flying, but it was slightly getting easier, only slightly. The madness needed to be stopped, and she had to do it with one powerful attack.

"_**In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night…"**_

She raised the Sword of Willpower over her head; the blade began to glow with emerald light.

"_**No other light shall shine as bright…!"**_

Particles of green light started to collect around the sword, while Anna's aura increased in size, burning like a wildfire.

"_**Let those who try to stop what's right…"**_

Anna widened her stance and prepared to thrust her sword. The blade was glowing with intense energy. It roared like a restrained animal, begging to be released. Anna's eyes shined with bright emerald light, now was the time!

"_**Burn like my power, Behemoths might!"**_

The Emerald Knight thrust the Sword of Willpower forward; the blade let loose a powerful beam of concentrated green light. For a few moments Anna saw something, the beam started to take the form of some kind of creature. It resembled a whale, with four wing-like fins, and the Emerald Knight insignia shining on its head. The Princess didn't know if it was her creating this, or if it was the sword, but then again, how did she know how to say that last oath.

After a few more seconds the beam returned to its original form and zoomed off towards the Berserkers. The elf constructs deconstructed themselves, the particles recollecting around Elsa, forming a giant castle wall. Rudolf, Felix, and Brutus had no time to run as the beam struck all three of them at once. The entire area was lit up in green light, followed by a powerful explosion and a concussive shockwave. The wall construct took the brunt of the blast, effectively shielding Elsa.

Anna ceased the blast; the area was blanketed in smoke from the attack. The Princess then slowly descended back to the ground. She was breathing heavily, although the Sword of Willpower had a tremendous amount of power, using it was taxing on her body. When her feet touched the ground, she used the sword to help steady her while she was standing. Anna winced upon seeing the result of her attack, most of the surrounding structures had been reduced to ash, and luckily it was just contained to a small area that led further back towards the forest.

The young redheaded blonde noticed movement in the dust cloud. She groaned in annoyance and frustration as three beings rose up slowly to their feet. _Geez, what's it going to take to make these guy STAY down!?_

"Well…I have to say, that stung, a lot," said Felix.

All three Berserkers were bruised all over, small and large cuts littered their bodies, and most of their garments were torn and tattered. The light construct weapons that both Felix and Rudolf wielded were gone, for the moment.

"Agreed," responded Rudolf.

"…"

"Oi, Brutus, what's that matter, cat got your…tongue…Hey, what's wrong wit'cha?"

Brutus was standing, his body swaying back and forth. Just then a sound echoed, resembling that of cracking glass. All three men looked at their ruby crystals embedded in their chests. Small cracks started to appear and spider web outwards, the cracks continued to grow, until, they shattered completely.

At that moment Felix, Rudolf, and Brutus let loose an ear splitting scream as their bodies were engulfed in crimson flames. Anna and Elsa watched in stunned horror as the killers burned alive, flailing their arms and screaming out cries for help. The ordeal lasted all of a minute, but for them, it was the longest minute of their lives. The charred bodies of the criminals fell to the ground; the sound of sizzling flesh could still be heard in the quiet of the empty town.

Anna couldn't believe what she saw, she wanted to stop them, but killing them was another story. Anna turned her attention to Elsa, who had slumped up against an undamaged game booth. The younger sister rushed to Elsa's side, the helmet quickly vanishing to show her concerned expression.

"ELSA!"

"Hey, Anna…you did it," she said weakly.

"Shh, shh, don't talk; you've lost a lot of blood! I need to get you to the castle, the doctors can –!"

"It won't help," interrupted Elsa, "The knife cut something inside, something vital…I-I can feel it."

"No…nonononononono! You're not dying! Do you hear me!?"

Anna released the Sword of Willpower and let it fall to her side. She then placed both hands over Elsa's wound and began to concentrate.

_Heal her!_

The green light of willpower shined on the spot where Anna's hands were, but something was wrong. It felt like the emerald light was doing something, but it was as if Anna was reaching out to an ability that wasn't part of her power. Regardless, Anna continued to will Elsa healed. Elsa dazedly looked at Anna and she gasped.

"Anna stop it…!"

"I'm not stopping!"

"Please stop, you're bleeding!"

Indeed it was so; Anna's eyes were crying tears of blood, along with steady drops of blood from her nose. The Princess could feel her body straining, the battle had taken its toll and she was in no condition to perform such a feat, but she didn't care, Anna wasn't going to let Elsa die right in front of her!

"I won't, you're not leaving me alone!" Anna shouted.

_HEAL HER!_

A great flash of green light shined, forcing Elsa to look away. When it dimmed down, the Snow Queen watched as Anna moved her hands away from her wound. It was gone, even the pain was nonexistent. Before Elsa could say anything Anna collapsed onto her big sister, unconscious. Elsa's heart sank into her stomach, eyes widening with fear.

"ANNA!"


	7. Ch6: To WAR

Anna was floating in a vast emptiness. She didn't know where she was, or what this place is, but one thing was for sure. She wasn't alone.

A bright green light shined behind her. Anna turned around and gasped at the sight. It was a giant whale-like creature; it was green all over, with long fins that imitated wings. Upon its head were three insignias of the Emerald Knight, it didn't take long before Anna recognized who and what the creature before her was.

_Oh my gosh, it's the Behemoth! _The _Behemoth, the Great Spirit of Willpower! _

Anna bowed her head before the creature, not wanting to offend the Spirit. The Princess was nervous, why had the Behemoth shown itself to her? Was it angry that she used its power, was she supposed to ask permission? Or was it here to congratulate her, or possibly give her some kind of prophetic advice? Just then Anna heard something; it was some kind of sound, a melodic tune.

_Wait I've heard that sound before…_

The sound, it reminded Anna of long ago, when she and Elsa went sailing across the sea with their parents. She remembered peering off the rail and watching as the whales would surface and dive, singing an unknown song to its kin. Was that what it was doing, singing to her, telling her that everything was alright? Anna dared to look up at the Behemoth, she gulped. Indeed the creature deserved the name, she felt like an ant staring up at a mountain. And yet, she didn't feel threatened by it. Anna then did something crazy, even for her. She reached out with her right hand and held it out there.

The Behemoth's giant eyes saw the gesture, and slowly moved forward. The tip of it mouth gently rested against Anna's hand. She flinched a little, but then rested her hand on the Behemoth once again. It was warm, powerful, and invigorating; it was the same way Anna felt when she grasped the sword. The young Princess smiled at the Behemoth, and the giant creature let out a tune as if conveying the same.

Just then, in the distance, there was a crimson red light, shining violently. The Behemoth broke its contact with Anna and turned to stare in the direction of the light, assuming, what Anna could only figure, was an attack position.

Anna looked in the same direction, and what she saw, made her wish she hadn't. It was a large, red creature. It resembled a bull, except its two horns were curved at a strange angle, and it had long sharp tusks jutting from the sides of its mouth. The new crimson creature snarled and snorted, stamping its hooves against the nonexistent ground. That's when Anna realized it, if this Spirit was the Behemoth then the one in the distance had to be the Beast, the Spirit born of murder, the personification of rage itself.

The two Spirits stared each other down, and in the next moment, they charged. Anna watched as the Behemoth and the Beast rushed towards each other, neither one veering off, they were dead set on a collision course. Anna could only watch as the two titanic entities were about to clash in the emptiness, and she had a front row seat to it all. The Beast let out a loud roar, at the same time the Behemoth released a fierce bellowing sound. When they made contact the entire area was flooded with red and green light.

Anna felt herself being thrown by the force of their power, and then, everything turned to white…

* * *

Anna awoke with a start, sitting upright in a bed, her bed to be precise. Her brow was drenched in sweat; her whole body as a matter of fact was too. Anna looked around and saw that she was in her room, but she couldn't recall how she wound up in there. It was then that the strawberry blonde felt an odd weight on her bed. Anna looked down and saw that Elsa was resting her head on her forearms at the edge of her bed.

Anna's little panic attack was over quickly upon seeing her sister, she was safe, they were both safe in the castle. She reached out towards her elder sister and brushed a few stray hairs that had fallen onto her face. After moving them, she noticed that Elsa's face had markings of dried tears.

_Elsa…were you crying?_

Elsa began stir from Anna's touch. The pale blonde raised her head and slowly opened her eyes. They shot open upon seeing Anna, awake and giving her a weak smile. Elsa hurriedly enveloped her little sister in a tight, bone crushing hug.

"Anna, thank god, you're awake! When you collapsed I thought…I thought…" She couldn't say the words, afraid that if this were some illusion or dream that speaking the worst would bring about a harsh reality that Elsa couldn't cope with.

"Elsa, I'm fine, I'm alive! Although, if you keep hugging me like this, I'm not so sure how long I will be," said Anna.

Elsa quickly released her, with Anna taking in some life giving air.

"Sorry!"

"It's alright."

Elsa sighed in relief, but then, just as quickly, her face became stern. Anna knew that look, it was the scolding expression Elsa often adopted when Anna did something dangerous, foolish, or both. There was no getting around this; she knew that Elsa would probably have a few words for her after the fact, so she prepared for the worst.

"You have some explaining to do, Anna."

"I know, I know, just…ugh…Where do you want me to start, exactly…?"

"The beginning would be good," she softly, yet sternly, ordered.

And so she did. Anna began to regale her big sister about the day when she and Olaf discovered the hidden chamber underneath the castle. The two tests that Anna faced in order to advance through the tunnels, and of course, how she came about to discover the Sword of Willpower. All the while Elsa just continued to stare, her arms crossed, a neutral expression plastered upon her face. It was like torture for Anna, she could never figure out what Elsa was thinking when she had that expression. It was the practiced mask of a Queen, an iron mask of which to hide ones true emotions until it was time to properly react.

"So then, when you and everyone were in danger I came back to the castle, took the sword, became the Emerald Knight, and well, you know the rest. Are you mad," asked Anna.

Elsa closed her eyes, "'Mad,' mad doesn't even begin to describe it, Anna! You got sucked into an unknown chamber, with no way of knowing if you would be able to return! I mean, for heaven's sake Anna, you and Olaf could've been trapped down there forever and nobody would have known where you went!"

"Yeah, in retrospect that was kinda dumb…"

"Then you find an ancient mystical weapon, one of which you had no idea how it would affect you! It could've set you on fire, destroyed you from the inside out, or turn you into some kind of monster!"

"Well, I didn't touch the first time…"

"And then you use that same _dangerous _weapon, without knowing its limits, or what it could do to your body!"

"Speaking of which, do you feel a draft?"

Elsa stopped her tirade for a moment, when she looked around she saw that the room was starting to develop a layer of frost on the floor and walls. A light drizzle of snow was falling down from the ceiling and piling in certain places around Anna's room. Elsa took in a few calming breaths, and with a wave of her hand evaporated the ice and snow into nothing.

"Achoo!" Anna sneezed.

Elsa cursed herself for being that careless. Anna only had the top part of her undergarments on, her shirt having been removed by the physicians so as to exam her after she collapsed. Elsa quickly removed her rope and placed it over Anna. The younger sibling eagerly accepted the gift.

"Sorry," said Elsa.

"It's fine, really. It's my fault anyway," said Anna.

"At least we agree on that." Elsa watched as Anna stuck out her tongue and stared down at the blankets. "But…If it wasn't for what you did, I would be dead, and a lot more people would've been hurt, so thank you."

Anna smiled up at Elsa; she then rested her head against her big sister's arm, thankful that she was able to protect the one person she cared about most. Anna started to look about her room and started to feel as if she had forgotten something. Her eyes went wide when she realized what it was that was missing.

"The Sword, Elsa where's the Sword of Willpower!?"

"We left it at the town square."

"You WHAT!?"

"I was little more worried about _you _then the sword, you did bleed out of your eyes, ears, and nose, and then lost consciousness after the fact," said Elsa. "I sent royal guards to go and retrieve it, but they couldn't lift it. So I just had them keep an eye on it for now."

Anna sighed, worried that the Sword of Willpower might've been taken by somebody, but knowing that it was still in the same place she was before helped to ease her mind. The Princess sat up straighter; she then thrust out her arm and opened her palm in the direction of the balcony.

"Anna what are you –?"

"Shh," Anna interrupted, "I'm trying to call out to it."

"You can't be serious," said Elsa incredulously.

"SHH!" Anna hissed.

After about thirty seconds Elsa began to see something approaching the balcony doors. The doors themselves were suddenly wrapped in shimmering green aura, forcing them open, and allowing the Sword of Willpower to fly on into the room. The sword flew in blade first, but in a split second the weapon corrected itself, flipping around so that the blade was facing up. The sword then came close to Anna's hand, allowing her to grasp the hilt.

The whole thing made Elsa jump back in surprise, which gave the younger sister some amusement from seeing her normally composed elder sister startled.

"Hey Elsa, can we get something to eat, I'm kinda starving," said Anna.

The redheaded blonde's stomach then growled loudly, causing her to blush in embarrassment.

Elsa stifled a chuckle before saying, "Not at all, it's almost lunch time anyway. Let me help you get dressed first before you do, unless you want to go traipsing around in your undergarments all day?"

"Can I!?" Anna asked.

"No," Elsa deadpanned.

"You're no fun." Anna began to get out of bed, but Elsa held her hand, easing her up. "I can get dressed on my own Elsa; you don't have to help me."

"Uh-uh, not after what happened. I don't want you collapsing again and hurting yourself. Plus you'll no doubt be a little weak after sleeping so long," said Elsa.

"I guess you're – wait – how long was I asleep for? You said it was almost lunch so it couldn't be more than a few hours."

"It's been more like three days…"

Anna stopped mid-stand, she then looked at Elsa with genuine shock.

"THREE DAYS!?"

"We have a lot to discuss…"

* * *

*** **Dining Hall** ***

Anna had attacked the food that the cooks placed on the table, not ate, but attacked. Literally wolfing down large portions of meat, bread, fruits, vegetables, basically anything that she could get her hands on really. Elsa had made the wise decision of keeping what she was going to eat far away from Anna, less she lose a hand while trying to get a bread roll.

After taking a large chug of water Anna paused and noticed the disturbed look on Elsa's face. She then swallowed what was still in her mouth before she spoke.

"Sorry, I was just sooooooo hungry," apologized Anna.

"No, no, it's fine. It's probably to be expected after how much energy you burned off during the battle," said Elsa.

Anna then took another swig of water; she wiped her mouth but then stopped.

"So…what's the situation like," she asked.

"Anna don't worry, I've got it handled, just concentrate on replenishing your strength," said Elsa.

"NO!" Anna banged her fist on the table, shaking the platters and surprising herself slightly. "Don't do that to me Elsa. Don't treat me like I'm a child! I'm a Princess and your sister! Whatever's going on now is my problem as well!" Silence reigned for a few seconds before Anna spoke again, "…Please Elsa, just tell me what's going on…"

Elsa could see the determination in Anna's eyes, as well as the hurt from not being treated as an equal. She did not mean to do that, Elsa knew that Anna was a capable girl, and she no doubt proved her valor and strength in a dangerous situation. And so it was with a heavy sigh, that Elsa told Anna of what has occurred over the past three days.

"We're still using the castle as temporary lodging until we can find more permanent homes for those whose homes and businesses were destroyed during the attack. We have over a five hundred people injured and at least two hundred dead," said Elsa, grimly.

Anna sat back in her chair, hearing the number of people who died, came as a great blow to her. The young Princess gritted her teeth in anger; her body trembled as she held back her tears.

"It's all my fault…!"

"What?"

"If I had taken hold of the sword right there and then, this, all of this, could've been prevented! Every time I think I'm making the right decision, it ends up hurting the people I love!"

"Anna, you had no idea that those…monsters, would appear in Arendelle! It's their fault; they're responsible for the lives lost! It's because of you that the death toll is only two hundred and not in the thousands, you and I both know that those three could've easily slaughtered everyone if we hadn't done what we did! You're a hero Anna, and let no one tell you otherwise," said Elsa.

"Well…at least the worst part's over, now all that's left is the cleanup…"

"That's not the worst Anna; in fact, I think this just the beginning."

Anna raised a curious eyebrow at that remark. "What do you mean 'only the beginning'?"

Elsa seemed to fidget, rubbing her right arm as if unsure if she should tell Anna what the Berserkers said to her before Anna swooped in and rescued her.

"Elsa, please tell me. If it's important I should know!"

"…They gave me a message: 'The Crimson Warlord, King Hans, sends his condolences.'"

Anna's mind came to a grinding halt at the mention of that name. Hans, the traitor, Hans the manipulator, Hans the charismatic, he was behind this! Anna began to hyperventilate, many a night she had had nightmares about that evil man, how he nearly killed them both and took Arendelle for his own. Of the horrors he would put them through if he returned. But this was far worse than anything she could've dreamt of. There one thing that stuck out in the repeated message, something that Anna couldn't shake.

"He calls himself the 'Crimson Warlord' now?"

"Probably just some way of scaring the masses into doing whatever twisted deeds he needs done. If he's really behind this, Hans is playing with forbidden types of magic, very powerful forbidden magic," said Elsa.

"I don't think it's just a title Elsa…I think, I think Hans might've found it!?"

"Found what?"

"Elsa, think back, to the story, to the characters! If I found the Sword of Willpower and became the new Emerald Knight, then Hans must've found the Ax of Rage and in so doing has become the new Crimson Warlord!" Anna's eyes went wide. "I get it now! That's what my dream was telling me!"

"Dream, what dream!?"

"Before I woke up, I saw the Behemoth, and the Beast! They charged and crashed into each other, and then there was this explosion of red and green light! They're telling me that Hans and I are going to fight Elsa, as the new Warriors of Light."

* * *

*** **The Next Day** ***

Elsa sat her in impromptu "War Room," she awaited the ambassadors and dignitaries that received her message about the situation in Arendelle. Since yesterday Elsa couldn't get what Anna said out her mind. The story they read as children, about mystic weapons and the warriors who wielded them, it was all true. And now that very story has somehow come to life and threatened their kingdom. This was unprecedented, an attack hadn't happened to Arendelle since the Great War, and that was over one-hundred and fifty years ago. _Hopefully it shouldn't come to that, perhaps this was just the work of rogues looking to make a name for themselves_, thought Elsa. _Goodness knows that many of the other kingdoms seemed a bit frightened by the fact that a neighboring kingdom had an ice sorceress for a queen. _

Soon the doors to the War Room opened with Kai ushering in their new quests. Many she recognized from her coronation day. Ambassador Rodriguez from Spain, Ambassador Lafitte from France, and Ambassador McDuffins from Ireland. There were three others that accompanied them, Eren from the kingdom of Schwartz, a tall fit and lean man, his gray eyes bared the look of someone who has seen many battles in his time, or rather the battles had taken their toll on him judging from the grayness in his brown hair. Sandolpheen from the Republic of Durans, he was a stout man, with a baby face that Elsa couldn't help but find funny, but kept her laughter in check else she offend. And finally, a women, slightly younger than Elsa, with raven black hair and piercing green eyes to match Elsa's blue. Aria of the queendom of Theseria. All six ambassadors bowed before the Queen of Arendelle, Elsa then gave a wave of her hand indicating them to sit.

"Thank you all for coming to this emergency meeting on such short notice," said Elsa.

"It is no problem at all your highness. When we heard of your troubles, my queen thought you could do with aid, rest assured, whatever Arendelle needs, Theseria will oblige," said Aria.

"The same for us," added Eren.

Elsa nodded in confirmation to the two, she then put on a serious expression and looked into the eyes of each ambassador as she spoke. "As you know, three days ago, Arendelle was attacked by three men wielding magical powers. They then proceeded to slaughter my people, and took great joy in it at that. While this whole situation is troublesome, there is something that troubles me more. It concerns what one of the men said to me during our battle. He proclaimed that Hans of the Southern Isles, had claimed the throne of Laval as his own, and has threatened to burn my kingdom to the ground."

"The little twat doesn't know when to give up does he," said McDuffins.

"No doubt he still harbors resentment towards your highness and your kingdom, do you believe he is threatening war against Arendelle," asked Lafitte.

"I would like to think that this is the work of a rogue element using Hans' name to steer us from a greater threat. But in this I refer to you, what news have you received from Laval?"

To this Sandolpheen rose and cleared his throat. "Queen Elsa, as much as I'd like to put your mind at ease, I'm afraid that this might indeed be the work of this Hans fellow." The stout man reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses as he reached for some papers on the table. "From what my sources have gathered, there is massive movement within Laval. Many of the neighboring kingdoms have joined Hans' camp, whether this is out of allegiance or threat of destruction is still up in the air."

"I have to add upon this grave news as well," Eren stood up from his seat, prompting Sandolpheen to sit back down. "My contacts within Laval also tell me that this Hans has wiped out his kin, leaving him the sole ruler of the kingdom. There are also reports of him wielding strange and deadly magic. If what you suffered in Arendelle is any indication, it means he has only shown a fraction what his new power can do."

"I don't think Laval is just moving against Arendelle," said Rodriguez, "I have gotten word that troops are securing strategic points along different borders. Hans is a crafty man, of that there is no doubt, he is also ambitious. It is doubtful he will stop with only Arendelle."

"It would make sense." All eyes turned to Aria, cupping her chin with her right hand, eyes closed as she thought. "If Hans wishes to attack Arendelle he would've just sent others like those – what were we calling those men?"

"Berserkers," said Elsa.

"Thank you, your highness. Yes, he could've easily slipped many more than just three during the celebration and effectively destroyed Arendelle. I surmise that he only gave you a taste of what's to come. He'll most likely attack the other kingdoms, working his way towards Arendelle one kingdom at a time, letting you know that with each fallen realm he gets closer."

Elsa sat back into her chair. This was all too much. Hans was a crafty man, manipulating Anna the way he did, and almost getting her killed soon after. And that's not to mention what he had originally planned if Anna hadn't made Elsa accidentally reveal her powers. Now this man was coming for her, for Anna, and Arendelle's people.

"Very well, what is it that we must do? I promise Arendelle will give what support we can," said Elsa.

Many of the ambassadors looked to each other, a few knowing glances being shared between them. It was then that the Schwartz ambassadors, Eren, looked directly at the queen.

"In truth, your majesty, many of our leaders were considering that you might lead the fight against Hans and his army."

Elsa rose from her chair and looked at the others indignantly, "You want me to lead an army against Hans!"

"Queen Elsa, understand our nation's predicaments. Hans wields magic now, none of our leaders, or anybody within, can stand up to his power," said Lafitte.

"You on other hand, Queen Elsa, have the power to lay waste to his armies, and when the time comes, confront him," said Sandolpheen.

Elsa sat back down in her chair, letting out an exacerbated sigh. How could they want her to lead an army. People are one thing, but she was no tactical genius, not a war hero, nor had she ever studied such things. It wasn't exactly Queen training material, at least not in Arendelle. Elsa looked to each of the ambassadors, noting the curious look that Aria of Theseria was giving her.

"I would like to take some time to consider this. Truthfully I was not prepared for such a request, given that my people have just suffered a great loss of their homes and family members," said Elsa.

"You needn't worry your highness, we know Arendelle is still recuperating from the attack, you would not need to raise your own army, our leaders have decided to give you command of our troops and warriors. We shall fight under a united banner, against a common foe," spoke McDuffins.

"Regardless, I would still like some time to think this over and discuss it with my counselors and, of course, my sister. You will receive your answer no later than tomorrow night. You are dismissed."

Elsa's stern tone made it clear that she would not be swayed in this. The ambassadors rose from their seats and bowed to Elsa in turn before exiting the War Room, all that is, except for Aria. She still sat in her chair closest to Elsa, the Snow Queen regarded the woman, wondering why she had not taken her leave with the others.

"Is there something else I can help you with, I already said I need time to think about this," said Elsa.

"Let me be clear, Queen Elsa. This wasn't an action that neither I nor my Queen condone." Aria chuckled as she glanced at the door. "The others are afraid of what is coming, and they look to you for their strength. Theseria is a queendom built upon the ideals that all should pull their weight, men, _and _women."

"I have heard of your country, it's mostly a matriarchal society. Your military made of strong and skilled woman, positions that would usually be held by men."

"Do not think we are against men. Have you ever heard the phrase 'Aut qui recidit in situ ius meruere idonei.' It basically means 'The right of position falls to those who are qualified or who have earned it.'" Aria rose from her seat and made her way to the door, stopping to look back at Queen Elsa. "It is the guiding principal of Theseria, which is why you find many of our women in high positions. But I digress. You have more than proved you have what it takes to lead and fight for your people. Theseria will fight, with or without you. And Theseria will be your ally, whether or not you decide to lead. In any case, goodnight Queen Elsa."

Aria gave a light bow, giving the Queen a wink before turning around and leaving the room. Kai reentered the War Room and stared at the door as if expecting Aria to come back, Elsa did the same, slightly dumbfounded by the way Aria acted.

"She's certainly…something," said Kai.

"Yes…something," Elsa shook her head, "Is Anna resting?"

"Yes, as you asked, and as stubborn as she is, I managed to talk her into heading to bed early tonight."

"Good, Kai, please have my meal delivered to my bedchambers, I have much to think about tonight and I'd like some time alone to mull it over," said Elsa.

Kai obliged her request and escorted Elsa back to her bedroom. When she entered, Elsa let out a sigh and began to remove her queenly garb. Once she was in more comfortable attire, she walked over to her small desk which was off near the windows, the room lit up with candles.

Elsa couldn't believe this, war was set to begin, and these other kingdoms and countries wanted her to lead their armies against Hans, personally. The Queen started to believe that she was cursed, no sooner after becoming close again with Anna and living without fear of discovery were they thrust into another life or death situation. And the risk was so much higher than it was when she almost froze all of Arendelle.

Elsa looked to her bed where the little doll she won at the crossbow game sat. In retrospect in did look a little like Anna, with redheaded pigtails and blue button eyes, its face dotted with the tiny spots to mimic freckles. Now that she thought about it, maybe Anna was the model for the one who made the doll. She moved over to her bed and looked at the doll. Elsa then grabbed hold of the doll, gently bringing sitting it on her lap as it stared up at her.

"What do you think, Anna? Should I agree to this, leading an army into battle against Hans," asked Elsa.

"_It's a really tough decision," _said Elsa, speaking for the doll. _"I don't want you to go, I don't want to lose you!?"_

"You won't, but what else can I do? If the War comes to Arendelle then all of the people will die…I can't live with that, nor can I live with you dying…I love you Anna."

"_I lo-l-…I lov-…"_

Elsa couldn't finish her sentence, when she spoke of love she said it with the feelings she kept secret within her. Even if it was just a doll, to have it say those words back with the same emotion wouldn't be true. It'd be a lie just to make herself feel better.

Elsa knew this shouldn't be on the forefront of her mind. But as it stood, the notion of telling Anna her forbidden feelings seemed easier compared to deciding to lead a vast, united army against Hans. For now, Elsa would just have her meal, ponder her answer a little bit more, and then sleep.

* * *

The next day Elsa knew exactly what she had to do. Even though she was the Queen, she had to consult with somebody whose opinion weighed just as much on her decision as her own. Anna. Arendelle was ruled not just by her alone, it had a Queen and Princess, and things like acts of war were something needed to be discussed by both its rulers. At least, that's what Elsa reasoned anyway.

The blonde made her way to Anna's room. She gently knocked three times, their way of silently telling the other who was behind the door. Elsa waited for the quick response of Anna opening the door and embracing her in a hug. But the door didn't open. And there was a severe lack of a bone crushing hug, prompting Elsa to knock a second time.

"Anna…?"

No response.

Elsa was starting to get a just a little concerned. The elder sister knocked three times for the third time, and still nothing, only silence.

"Anna…!"

Fearing the worse, Elsa pushed upon the door, only to find that Anna was not in her room. Although the balcony doors were wide open. Elsa walked towards the balcony and looked out over the fjord.

"Queen Elsa?"

The Snow Queen quickly turned around and saw that Gerta was standing in the doorway, confused as to why Anna was in her room.

"Gerta, have you seen Anna," she asked.

"Why, no, I haven't. I was just on my way to see if she needed anything. But apparently she has disappeared," said Gerta.

Elsa gazed out towards the open space, her eyes narrowing as she thought. _Maybe not…_

"Gerta don't worry, I think I might know where she went to. Inform the staff that I'll be out," said Elsa.

"Of course your highness," said Gerta as she exited.

Elsa concentrated, taking in deep, calming breaths. Focusing on Anna, Elsa summoned her powers and transformed herself into a snow flurry. The gusting snow flew through the air, weaving in and out of the castle towers and into the town. Her wispy form glided through the air, as it made its way to the nearby forest. After some more maneuvering, Elsa had made it to the spot she envisioned. She dispelled her snow flurry form and returned to normal, stopping just before she reached the tree line. Elsa walked the rest of the way till she came upon the familiar clearing, and sure enough, there she was.

Anna, dressed in some leisurely pants and a loose shirt, swung her sword with focus and determination. Her brow beaded with sweat as she thrust the Sword of Willpower at an imaginary enemy, drawing it back and twirling for a horizontal slash at another invisible foe. Elsa couldn't help but stand there and watch her little sister move. It was uncanny, there were times when Anna both complimented and made envious quips about how she wasn't as graceful as her older sister. But right now, Elsa confessed, Anna was the more graceful one. She wielded her sword with ease, her movements showed no waste in energy, every placement of her foot, every swing of her sword, all precise. It was like a deadly dance, but filled with a savage grace that seemed to perfectly match the redhead's demeanor. Her braided hair would whip through the air as beads of sweat leapt off her face and sparkled in the air, like shimmering diamonds that only added to her beauty.

Elsa could feel her cheeks heating up as these thoughts continued to race through her mind. And against the paleness of her skin, her blush would be very noticeable. _Damn it Anna, why do you have to look so…so…attractive while doing that!? _Elsa summoned her ice powers to her the palms of her hands and slapped the sides of her cheeks, cooling the heat that was building. It was then that Anna was starting to end her sparring as the ginger girl dropped to one knee, laying the Sword of Willpower down on the ground next to her. Anna was panting, exhausted from her workout.

At that moment the she felt a nice cool breeze waft her way. She turned in the direction of the breeze and smiled knowingly. "Thanks, Elsa."

"My pleasure, Anna." Elsa emerged from the trees and smiled back at her little sister, her open left palm emitting a sky-blue light as she commanded a cool wind to blow towards Anna. "I see you're hard at work."

"You're not mad that I snuck out of the castle, are you," she asked timidly.

"Mad? No. Worried? Yes." Elsa saw Anna wince at that. "You shouldn't push yourself so soon after just recovering from the battle."

Anna sighed, "Elsa I feel fine, honestly! My wounds have healed and I feel stronger than I did when I woke up yesterday. Guess it's a side effect of the sword?"

Elsa eyed the emerald bladed weapon wearily, "Another reason why I say that sword could be trouble for you."

Anna shot her sister an annoyed glare, though it didn't last long, she knew Elsa had every right to still be miffed about not telling her what happened in the chamber. Elsa continued her way towards Anna and swiftly sat next to her. Anna, with a mischievous grin, sat on the grass next to Elsa. She yawned greatly and tilted to the side, landing most of her upper body on the blonde's lap.

"Eww, Anna, you're sweaty, could you at least lie on the grass," asked Elsa.

"Nope, you're nice and cool, and I'm hot and sweaty. mmmmm, I could lie here forever," said Anna dreamily.

Elsa tried several times to form words of protest, but seeing that content look on her little sister's face made it hard for her to do so. "You're impossible sometimes, you know that right?"

Anna grinned wider and chuckled victoriously, earning her a light bop on the head from Elsa. The two of them just stayed like that for a while, with Anna closing her eyes and enjoying the coolness of Elsa's body against her skin, and Elsa staring down at Anna, her mind once again wandering to forbidden places. As much as she would like to indulge her fantasies, there was a pressing matter that Elsa had to bring up.

"Anna, there's something I need to ask you. And I need you to take it seriously," said Elsa.

The sternness in Elsa's voice made Anna crack open one eye, "What, something wrong?"

"I spoke to the ambassadors last night. They told me Hans is mobilizing and army to attack, not just Arendelle, but other kingdoms as well…"

Anna opened both eyes and quickly sat up. "You can't be serious!? Coming after us I understand, but he's dragging other kingdoms into it as well!? I can't believe that – ugh – he really _is _the Crimson Warlord!"

"Unfortunately, your dream may have been correct. They told me that Hans wields a strange kind of magic, and if it truly is the Ax of Rage, like you speculate, then this war is going to be a hard fought one," said Elsa grimly.

Anna noticed the nervous and gloomy look on Elsa's face, "There's more, isn't there…?"

"…They want me to lead a united army against Hans' forces, Anna…"

The ginger girl shot up, standing tall. She looked at Elsa with a surprised and shocked expression. "You…you didn't say –!?"

"I didn't give them an answer, not yet," Elsa interrupted. "But I promised them one by tonight. That's why I sought you out, Anna. This decision isn't just mine alone, it's yours as well."

Anna slumped back down on the grass and breathed a sigh of relief. "So…you want my opinion if we should go to war or not?"

"You're just as much a part of this as I am. Hans means to burn Arendelle to the ground, and slaughter every one of its people…The kingdoms will fight back, of that I have no doubt, but I have to make the decision which best protects Arendelle. What do you think, Anna? Should I lead this army, or should we concentrate on defending our own kingdom?"

Anna was slightly taken aback by what Elsa had told her. For the first time in a long time, Elsa was asking her to weigh in on such a monumental decision. It was almost overwhelming for Anna. She hugged her legs close to her chest, staring out towards the fjord and the castle. Elsa didn't press her younger sister, and if she was honest, she would've just stayed sitting there with her, freezing this moment in time. _Wonder if I could freeze time…Nah, that would be crazy._

"Elsa…did you tell them about, you know, me and the sword," asked Anna.

"No…I've done what I can to keep that part of the incident under wraps. As far as they're concerned, I was the one who defeated them."

"You're not going to like my decision…"

"I'll respect whatever decision you make, Anna."

The Princess took in a deep breath and calmly released it. "I think we should fight."

Somehow Elsa wasn't as shocked by that answer as she thought she'd be. "You're referring to your dream. The two great spirits clashing, correct?"

"I think it's more than just a dream, Elsa. I think it was their way of telling me that one way or another, Rage and Willpower will eventually clash. And if that's true, then no matter what decision we make, Hans and I are going to fight each other," said Anna.

Elsa moved closer and draped her right arm over Anna's shoulders, bringing her close so that her head rested on her shoulder. "I won't let that happen…and even if it does, I won't let you face such an ordeal alone! I love you, Anna."

Speaking those words made Elsa's heart rate spike, she knew Anna would take it as sisterly love, but it was in fact the love she held for Anna as a girl, laced with the same amount of sisterly affection.

Anna too felt a rise in her heart rate, although she didn't know why. They had said such words to each other before, and it did not make her feel this way, it wasn't a bad feeling, but it was weird, a good weird.

"…Elsa, Hans will come and destroy Arendelle, and kill us. This isn't something either of us can avoid…If you fight then I am too," said Anna.

"Sometimes it feels like fate is against us. Even when we think we've found a ray of hope in the darkness, something eventually comes to drag us back into it…"

Anna's eyes drifted towards the Sword of Willpower, its emerald blade shimmering as if responding to her. The redhead gently grasped the hilt and brought the weapon to face them both. "Then maybe it's time we created our own light for once, and light darkness ourselves."

Anna used her left hand to grab Elsa's left, placing her hand over her right. The sword's blade seemed to shine brighter. Elsa looked over to Anna, her teal eyes shifting slightly to green as she smiled at her. It was then that Elsa knew what needed to be done.

"Yes…I think you're right." The two sisters steadily raised the sword, pointing its blade towards the heavens. "We light up the darkness, with our own two hands."

* * *

*** **That Night** ***

The ambassadors had all been called to the courtyard of the castle. All six delegates stood in a semi-circle. None of them knew why they were called out to meet the Queen there.

"Nice place for ambush, a regular shooting gallery," said Eren.

"Must you be so morbid," asked Sandolpheen.

"He's just being a soldier. Even when placed in a new station, training such as his does not easily leave. It becomes second nature to spot strategic points of attack," said Aria.

"You speak as if you've had some experience in the matter," Rodriguez pointed out.

"Hmm…maybe."

"Well rest assured, messieur Eren, the Queen wouldn't stoop so low as to attempt something such as that," said Lafitte.

Just then a snow flurry appeared from behind the castle towers. The flurry zipped about, circling the courtyard a few times and the delegates as well before splintering off. The flurry then spun on the ground a few feet away; as it spun the flurry began to form a person. After a short few seconds the flurry solidified into the form of the Snow Queen, Elsa, wearing her ice dress and sporting a confident smirk.

"Nice entrance, Queen Elsa," said Aria.

"Thank you and thank you all for meeting out here tonight. I promised you that by tonight you would have your answer about whether or not I would lead this united army into battle against Hans. Truthfully the burden of this decision weighed greatly on my mind and soul. So I sought the council of one I trust above all others, the very one who will also stand by me in the coming storm, Princess Anna."

At that moment a bright green star flashed in the night sky, the star then took on the form of the Emerald Knight's insignia. A blazing streak of green light descended down at a dizzying speed. The light impacted right beside Elsa, but the Snow Queen was unfazed by its entrance. The light beam dispersed and revealed the form of the Emerald Knight, the Sword of Willpower safely sheathed at her waist.

The delegates, all except Eren and Aria, stepped back quickly upon seeing the armored warrior. When the Emerald Knight rose its helmet disappeared and allowed Anna's face to be seen by the scared representatives.

"Impressive," said Eren. "The rumors of the Emerald Knight resurfacing were true after all."

"A fairytale made true, quite astounding," added Aria.

"Like my sister, Elsa, said, she asked me what we should do, because this not only affects Arendelle, or my sister and I, but your homes and people as well. So we came to a unanimous decision…"

Elsa stepped forward per Anna's prompt, "Today, my comrades, brothers and sisters in arms, go back to your homelands and inform your leaders. Upon this night, Arendelle shall lead the charge against Hans – no – the Crimson Warlord's armies! Tonight, go to WAR!"

Anna unsheathed her sword and pointed it into the air, at the same time Elsa thrust her open left hand into the air as well. Both sisters unleashed a beam of green and sky-blue light. The two beams intertwined with each other till they reached the highest point and exploded in midair. The result was that of a green shimmering snowflake, with the insignia of willpower at its center. This was their unspoken way of saying that they would not go quietly into the night, that they would not vanish without a fight. This day, this night, their War of Light began.


	8. Ch7: Lets Get Down to Business

**A/N: **

**Minipa – Thank you, don't ask me how this came to me, it just did. I kept hearing the words ****fear**** and ****love**** during the movie and I was like "Hey, they could wield the Emotional Spectrum." And it pretty much took off from there. :-P**

**The OC Maker – Normally when a Red Lantern's ring flies off their hand they go into cardiac arrest, but seeing as they don't possess the advanced technology to create rings (and the only one who could is dead) I substituted crystals. And being that they aren't as stable as the Red Lantern rings, instead of their heart stopping they're acid blood ignites and burns them alive, spontaneous human combustion, ain't it grand. **

**Actually the oath wasn't exactly a total rip from the Yellow/Fear Lanterns. I looked up multiple versions of the Green Lantern Oath and found that a character known as Sodam Yat had an oath similar to that. So I just modified it as a way to summon Ion's (aka Behemoth's) power. **

**Anyway enough with my prattling, on with the show! Also, try and guess what the chapter title is in reference to! Kudos to whoever guesses it right.**

* * *

A month had passed since Elsa and Anna agreed to lead the United Alliance against Hans, the Crimson Warlord. In that time span Arendelle prepared for war. Anna was surprised by how many of the people actually wanted to volunteer to join the campaign against Hans. But then again, many of them had lost their homes, businesses, family, and friends during the Berserker attack, Anna believed it was probably their way of striking back and avenging their loses.

Elsa was busy doing a lot negotiating and preparation work for the coming battles. The Queen of Arendelle was in constant communication with the five kingdoms, and queendom that agreed to create this Alliance. Since then, as word spread, many other kingdoms had voiced their participation in the Untied Alliance, while some decided to remain neutral. Their army was growing into the thousands and showed no sign of slowing. Soon they would have a massive army to march on Lavel and bring Hans to justice once and for all.

This whole time, Anna was busy training in the ways of combat, learning the strategies of past Arendelle wars, and more from their generals to add to her growing knowledge of combat. Anna also trained diligently in the ways of the sword, making sure her skills did not dull. If she was to face more Berserkers or Hans for that matter, then her fighting skills had to be at their zenith.

Currently the Princess of Arendelle was busy training in the courtyard, using a training sword and sparring with the recruits. Her skill with the blade was remarkable; she wielded the weapon as if it were truly an extension of her arm. At one time Anna had gotten bored with one on one and asked to take on four opponents at once.

"Your highness, I don't think that's wise," said the instructor.

"And I don't think that I'll have the luxury of choosing how many opponents I'll be facing on the battlefield. Besides, I already took on three blood spewing, muscle bound killers. I think I can handle four ordinary soldiers," said Anna.

Although there was no smugness in her tone, the other recruits couldn't help but feel a stab to their pride. Yes they knew this was the Princess, but they remembered their instructor saying that "Things like gender and status are left behind when you step into the ring. The only thing that determines a match is the skill each warrior possesses." Anna and the recruits took that quote to heart whenever they fought each other, and Anna was going to prove it now.

She stood in the center, both hands on the hilt, keeping herself aware of the four young men circling her. They twirled their training swords about, ready to fight the Princess. The instructor raised his sword into the air and brought it down to the ground, signaling the start of the fight. The recruit to Anna's left rushed towards her, ready to deliver an overhead strike. The ginger girl saw this coming, and immediately parried the blade as it descended down and used her foot to trip up the lad. He tumbled about on the ground for a bit before catching himself.

The boy to Anna's right took advantage of the other recruit's recklessness and charged for the Princess. Anna could feel his movements, she then repositioned the sword into a reverse-grip hold, spun, and slashed at the boy's midsection. The boy stopped upon feeling the impact of the blade. A body strike meant an immediate kill and so the recruit quickly got out of the ring, mumbling irritably under his breath.

Anna continued to hold the sword in her reverse-grip style, ready to take on the remaining three. The three recruits seemed to come to a silent agreement, knowing full well taking on the Princess one at a time was no good, they opted for a group attack. Two of the three recruits attacked quickly, swinging their swords from different directions. Anna countered the first blow by slashing horizontally with her sword, using the momentum, she reversed the direction, drawing her arm back and struck the blade of the second sword as a "clunk" sound echoed out.

Anna knew she had to go on the offensive. She abandoned the reverse-grip style and went back to the standard sword grip. The redhead struck the first recruit swiftly; luckily he was able to block the attack, stumbling backwards from the unexpected strength behind the blow. Anna whirled around and started on the second recruit, not giving him time to make his move. She slashed at a furious pace, making the young man work double time just to block her attacks. The wood of the swords started to splinter off as flakes flew from their blades.

The third recruit started to move in, opting for a thrust rather than a slash. Anna barely saw the attack coming as she pushed off her second opponent. She quickly back stepped, causing the blade to rush past her left cheek. Anna winced as the friction of the wooden blade scrapped against her bare cheek, she used her free left hand to catch the hilt of third recruit's sword, drew back, and then pushed him away, making him fall on his rump from the redirected force.

Anna entered a fighting stance, but winced once again as her left cheek burned, causing her to let out a yelp of pain as she cupped her burn.

"That's enough!"

All eyes quickly fell on the Queen as she approached the ring, a furious look in her icy blue eyes. The recruits and instructor bowed to her, keeping their eyes downcast.

"Elsa what are you –?"

"Instructor Lazan, how can you allow your recruits to fight so roughly with my sister!?" Elsa demanded.

"…With respect, your majesty, I've made it clear to the recruits, and the Princess, that status is to be forgotten whilst in the ring. The only thing you are upon entering it is a warrior, your status is only determined by your skill…" Laxan gulped silently, knowing that the Queen would not easily accept such an answer.

"Maybe so, if this were a fight between a spoiled nobleman and one of our recruits it would be different. But you know she is the Princess and regardless –!"

"ELSA!" shouted Anna. The Queen stopped her rant and stared at her younger sister confused. "Laxan, I apologize for the interruption. Would you please excuse us? Thank you!"

Anna quickly grabbed her elder sister's hand and dragged her away from the arena as she stomped the ground in anger. The two sisters rounded the stables, out of sight of anybody in the courtyard or walkways along the wall. Anna then released her sister and turned around to give her a verbal accosting. That is she was before she saw the concerned look on her face.

"What's wrong…?"

"Your cheek, it's grazed," said Elsa.

Anna brought her finger tips to her cheek and gently touched the area. A sharp stinging, burning sensation started to flare up, causing her to wince again in pain. Elsa walked up close to her younger sister.

"Look at me," she said.

The Princess did as she asked, her own eyes somehow being held by the intense blue eyes of her elder sister. She then watched as Elsa's right hand rose from her side and moved to cup her cheek. Anna closed her eyes in preparation for the pain she was about to feel, however, pain wasn't what she felt, it was actually a soothing, cool sensation. Anna opened her eyes once again and saw that Elsa's hand was hovering a few inches away from the injured area, her ice powers gently caressed her graze, numbing the pain and causing the swelling to go down. Elsa dared to bring her hand closer, placing it over her cheek and holding it there.

"Oooh, that feels so much better, thanks sis," said Anna.

"No problem, it doesn't look like it broke the skin. So there shouldn't be any scars. Icing it will keep the swelling down and make it hurt less." Elsa then removed her hand from Anna's cheek and smiled down at her.

"Guess I'll need to stay close to you, my own personal ice pack," she teased.

Elsa merely rolled her eyes.

"But seriously, why did you do that!? It was totally embarrassing!"

"I did _that _because they should know better than to harm the Princess of Arendelle like that! They should've taken it easy on you," said Elsa.

Anna scoffed, "It was a sparring match! Compared to fighting those three blood spewing, sadistic, murderess, bulked up, psychopath Berserkers, fighting four recruits is _way _more safe than that."

Elsa was about to open her mouth to protest, but the words died in her throat. In truth she knew Anna was right, the recruits wouldn't harm Anna on purpose for fear of the Snow Queen's wrath. A tinge of red started to color the Queen's cheeks as she thought about her actions, although in her defense she was thinking more like a protective older sister, instinct just took over.

"Sorry, Anna…I didn't mean to –"

"Relax," said Anna smiling, "It was actually kinda sweet when you did that. That was one of the things I missed when we were separate, you not being there when I got hurt." Anna then noticed the hurt expression on Elsa's face and she immediately slapped the side of her head. "Oh no, I'm sorry! I know that wasn't your fault, you were just trying to protect me right!? I can't believe I went and said something so insensitive –"

"Anna."

"– I mean know it's still a touchy subject, I should've been watching what I was saying –"

"Anna!"

The Princess finally stopped her rant and stared at her sister, grinning in embarrassment as she stroked her right arm nervously. "I did it again, didn't I?"

"It's fine, at least you stopped before I had to throw a snowball at you," Elsa teased.

Anna just rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Because there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Walk with me."

Elsa didn't get the chance to ask where to, Anna just started walking towards the open double doors of the castle. The Queen just sighed and followed her younger sister. They said their greetings to the passerby servants, and of course some the ambassadors who decided to stay and better help coordinate the UA effort. After walking around for a couple of minutes Elsa's curiosity was starting to get the better of her.

"Alright Anna, so what did you need to talk to me about?"

Anna stopped abruptly, causing the Queen to get ahead of her before turning around and seeing a nervous Anna fidget.

"Elsa…what I have to say is going to be blunt and probably sound a little mean, but I just don't know how else to say it," she confessed.

"Anna, I'm your sister first above everything, whatever it is you can tell me," said Elsa in a kind tone.

"Okay, well, there's no easy way to say this, so here it goes." Anna sucked in some air and quickly released it before speaking. "Elsa you have no fighting skill."

Elsa wore a deadpan expression as one of her eyebrows lifted, "Excuse me?"

"I mean, don't get me wrong, you handled those Berserkers, but…seeing as how they almost got the better of you, I think you might need some actual combat training," said Anna.

"Ahem, well, if you remember, Anna, I wasn't aware of their weakness beforehand. If I was my attacks would've been more precise and direct, but seeing as how I was more concerned with the safety of the people, and you, I wasn't fighting at my fullest," explained Elsa in a calm and queenly manner.

Anna gulped, "Yes, you're right about that, there's no doubt you're powerful when you let loose. But again…I can't help but think that you learning some actual fighting skills, other than lobbing ice shards, ice spikes, or just freezing everything, would help you tremendously, especially since we're going to war…"

Elsa was quiet, silently thinking over Anna's argument. Her statement was true. During the incident last year, when the Duke's men tried to kill her, all she could do was use the ice to block their arrows and use the Ice Palace as a giant weapon. Then there was the Solstice Battle, she did use a plethora of ice based attacks, the aforementioned spikes, shards, freezing blasts, icy winds, and large icebergs. Her attacks all had one thing in common, they were mostly medium to long range, when they got in close, if she didn't react quick enough, Elsa could've been killed. And on a battlefield, she may not always have the luxury of casting her wintery powers from a safe distance.

"…You do have a point, Anna."

"I'm sorry, I know it sounds stupid but – wait what did you say!?"

"You have a point," she repeated. "I really do just do nothing more than freeze things or launche projectiles at my opponents, as a Queen, and especially one with powers such as mine, I need to explore every facet of my abilities."

Anna quickly enveloped her elder sister in a bone crushing hug, surprising the Queen and causing her to let out a small "eep" from the sudden embrace.

"This is great Elsa, I can't wait to start training you!" Anna proclaimed.

The gears in Elsa's mind just came to a grinding halt. "Pardon me, _you _are going to train _me_?!" Elsa asked incredulously.

Anna looked up at her sister confused, "Uh, yeah, who else did you think?"

"There's Laxan, maybe Ambassador Eren, Generals Gran, Vordek, and Mason, take your pick."

The Princess separated herself from Elsa; she then raised her right hand and wagged her index finger back and forth. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Elsa, the kind of training you need can only be provided by yours truly, of course."

A brief shutter rolled through Elsa's body, "I'm afraid to ask…but, what kind of training did you have in mind, exactly?"

"Oh no, that's my little secret till we meet at our training sight, tomorrow, promptly at ten," said Anna in a mock haughty fashion.

"And where are we meeting?"

* * *

*** **The Next Day *****

_The North Mountain, why on Earth do we need to meet there_, thought Elsa.

Apparently there was training to be had, and it would take place on the mountain side. Anna didn't give Elsa much more than telling her that their training would take place at the North Mountain, but she never said where around the mountain they would train. Out of habit, Elsa made her way for the Ice Palace, thinking that it was the only other place that Anna would be. The Princess had also instructed that she come by foot, and not on horseback. True she made the trek to the North Mountain by foot during her self-imposed exile, but that didn't mean she liked to walk all that way.

Finally the pale skinned woman made it to her destination, the tall sharp pointed spires of her Ice Palace now coming into view. Elsa had repaired her palace after the ordeal with Hans, recreating the stairs and fixing the interior. Even though she and Anna didn't come to the Ice Palace that often, she still wanted it there. It was her little haven for when she needed time for herself, a private sanctuary for when the weight of the crown became too heavy and she needed some time to step away and gain perspective. The only person who dared to venture up here and check on her in those times was Anna; in fact, Marshmallow wouldn't let anybody in unless it was Anna, Olaf, or Kristoff and Sven.

As Elsa made her way across the divide she noticed Anna sitting on rock with Olaf. The ginger girl and snowman noticed Elsa's arrival and quickly stood up. Olaf greeted his creator/mother figure and gave her a hug, while Anna had her arms crossed, a knitted brow, and a grin upon her lips.

"You're late," said Anna.

"I would've been her sooner if I took my horse." Elsa took a look around; a puzzled expression now adorned her face. "How did you manage to get here anyway, I don't see a horse? Did you head out early this morning?"

"Oh god no, I woke up around eight and ate breakfast."

"Still, that's only an hour after I awoke…" Elsa's eyes drifted towards Anna's hips, the faint glow of the hard-light sheath catching her eye. It was then that the Queen made the connection and glared at Anna. "I walked all the way up here, and you _flew_!?"

"Yes, Olaf saw that I was leaving, and I didn't want him to accidentally tell you that I was still around, so I brought him with me. Besides, that long walk is good for you, it'll help your endurance," said Anna.

"Are you saying I am out of shape? I am quite fit, Anna," said Elsa dejectedly.

"Uh-huh, well, let's get started, follow me."

Elsa blew a stray hair out her face before following Anna. As she walked behind Anna, the Queen couldn't help but poke at her sides self-consciously. Olaf came up beside Elsa and tucked at her skirt to get her attention.

"It's okay Elsa, I don't think you're fat," said Olaf innocently.

Elsa's face turned beet red, while Anna stopped in her tracks, spluttered a bit, and laughed boisterously, holding her sides and gasping for air as she continued her laughing fit. Olaf just looked between Elsa and Anna in confusion, scratching his head.

"Did I say something funny," asked the snowman.

"N-No, Olaf," Elsa's left eye was noticeably twitching as her hands began to emit magical glow, "Anna just has a weird sense of humor…! Thank you for the compliment."

_I wonder what kind of training Anna's going to have me doing…Maybe it's something that involves me smashing her with the world's largest snowball! _Elsa took a deep calming breath. _Relax Elsa, Olaf didn't mean anything by it. Just remember you love your little sister, yes I love her, dearly!_

Olaf couldn't help but notice that Elsa's eye was still twitching; only now she wore a creepy, evil grin that kind of unsettled the little snowman. He then quickened his pace to be next to Anna, who had now calmed down from her laughing fit and was wiping the tears from her eyes. The three walked for a time, the Ice Palace still in view behind them. After a couple of more minutes of walking they happened upon a clearing. It was decently wide, snow covered trees sparsely separated, with mountain tops nearly covering every side of the area. Anna finally stopped, turned and extended her arms wide.

"We're here!"

Olaf and Elsa just stared at their surroundings.

"Where is 'here' exactly," asked Elsa.

"Our training grounds, duh! You and I are going to learn how to use our powers effectively before the war starts up, me with my sword and you with your ice powers," explained Anna.

Elsa took another look around, the location finally making sense to her. "I see. You brought us out here so that nobody would be harmed when we used our powers. We can go all out and not have to worry about innocent people getting hurt because of us."

"Right, this training will be just as much for _you_ as it will be for _me_. I've even broken it down into two different parts!" Anna quickly reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that read "_Training To Do While on the North Mountain_". "Let's see, first on the list is 'Constructs!'"

"'Constructs,' what is that?" Elsa asked.

"It's a word I looked up in the library, it means 'to build or make (something physical, such as a road, bridge, or building).' I started to think back to the fight, when I made those elves appear, and then that knight, and lastly the shield I used to block one of their attacks. They were all things _I _wanted to make appear, I saw them in my mind and the Sword's power brought them to life, in a way." Anna then pointed towards Elsa's Ice Palace. "Your powers have the same ability; you created that castle, the stairs that bridge over the gap in the cliff, Olaf and Marshmallow, and even your dress."

Elsa contemplated what Anna said. True, when she made her Ice Palace she had a picture in her mind of what she wanted, and she used her powers in order to create it. Elsa also knew that it was done completely on instinct, she just let her powers flow and allowed them whisk her about, the feeling of complete freedom. If she could hone that creative side, there was no telling what she could make, no limit to the applications this could have during battle. Elsa suddenly started to feel a sudden swell of excitement rise within her and did her best to keep herself from giggling like a school girl.

"So, Anna –"

"Ah-ah-ah, the correct term is _Master_ Anna," she corrected.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, dead serious."

"…Fine…_Master _Anna, how do we begin?"

"You mind saying that 'Master' part one more time?"

"…"

"Right, never mind, anyway, I was thinking that we could start with something simple and then work our way up." Anna stood across from Elsa, she then held out her right hand, her palm open. She closed her eyes for a moment as green light particles started to collect on the flat of her palm. After a few short seconds the particles shot up and down, solidifying into a simple seven foot long bow-staff. "Something like this."

Elsa scoffed at the creation, "Anna, please," Elsa held out her right hand in the same manner as Anna had. Particles of light and ice started to coalesce into a sphere of swirling fractals. In the next moment the ice shot up and down, changing into a seven foot long bow-staff like Anna's. "Give me some credit, baby sister," she said with a smirk.

"Alright, alright, but hey, we gotta crawl before we can walk." Anna dismissed the bow-staff, with Elsa doing the same. The Princess then extended her left arm out and to the side. The same green energy started to swirl about her forearm and quickly transformed into a shield made of light.

Elsa did the same, holding out her left arm and creating a shield made of ice. Anna was, to say the least, impressed that Elsa could lift the ice made shield. Being made of light and energy, Anna knew her construct would be light weight, but she didn't know if the ice shield would way more for her. _Guess ice doesn't weigh the same when it comes to Elsa._

"C'mon Anna, give me a challenge," said Elsa, her confidence at a high.

"Guess it's time to raise the ante! You created Olaf and Marshmallow, and they can walk and talk. Let's see if you can create something other than snowmen."

Anna summoned the energy of willpower, channeling it from the sword into her hands. Before her the energy started to swirl about and collect. The Princess concentrated, picturing the image she wanted to conjure. After a few seconds the sphere broke out and took the form of a large, muscular horse. The equine construct neighed and whinnied like a real horse, rearing up and coming down hard on its forelegs. Anna let her hands fall to her sides, she felt a little drained, but nothing major. She then walked up to the emerald horse and held out her hand to the beast. It took a single sniff before coming closer and nuzzling the redheaded blonde.

"I'll make you a bet, Elsa. If you can create a horse with your powers, I'll let you ride it back to the castle. If not, you're walking, deal?"

Was Anna seriously trying to show up her big sister? Elsa thought for a moment, being the Queen of Arendelle, Elsa had to be above such petty goading. On the other hand, they were far from the castle, the servants, the ambassadors, and pretty much anybody who could see Elsa's accepting of such a challenge as childish.

"Deal," said Elsa with a smug expression.

The Snow Queen concentrated, summoning forth her magical powers. She called upon the ice and snow, and to the magical force that allowed her to breathe life into whatever she created. Elsa then thrust her hands forward, releasing dual ice blast that swirled about in much the same manner as Anna's green energy. The ice started at the base, forming strong, long hooved legs. The ice continued to grow upwards, creating an equine body, a swishing tail, a long mane, and finally the head. When Elsa was finished, she let out a sigh and placed her hands on her hips and smirked.

"Well?"

"Elsa, that's not a horse."

"Of course it's a horse!"

"No, that's a unicorn."

"A unicorn!?" Elsa looked at her creation more closely. Indeed the horse did have a single, long, spiraling horn sticking out its forehead. The Queen blinked a few times, trying to figure out how she created a unicorn of all things. But still, it was moving, and braying like a horse would. "It's still horse."

"No way, unicorns are totally different from normal horses!" Anna argued.

"Uh-huh, says the girl with the green colored light horse standing next to her."

Anna looked to her newly made companion, the horse then looked at its creator and silently nodded. "Who asked you!? Okay, fine, it counts."

"HA!" Elsa shouted triumphantly as she made her way to the ice unicorn. The Snow Queen petted her creation on the snout before signaling it to lower itself so she could mount. "See Anna, I have everything under contro –!"

The moment Elsa sat on the unicorn it shattered into sparkling dust, and leaving the platinum blonde to fall on her rear in the snow. Elsa just sat there, dumbfounded. Olaf just stared in disbelief, Anna and the horse construct just blinked a few times as if trying to figure out if what they saw just happened. Both Anna and her construct walked up to Elsa.

"Elsa –"

"Anna, if you're going to make some crack about how my weight shattered my construct, I'll freeze you right here and leave right now," interrupted Elsa.

When the Queen looked at her younger sister, she could only see kindness and understanding. "I was just going to say that we're both going to have to work on the stability of our constructs."

"What're you talking about? Yours is still here!"

"Yeah, but it takes some concentrating to keep him there. I'm not fully confident about riding him till I'm sure that he'll stay solid and not break apart after mowing through a horde of soldiers. No offense."

The construct shook his head as if saying "None taken." With a wave of her hand, Anna dismissed the equine construct and offered a helping hand to Elsa. The elder sister gingerly took her hand and allowed Anna to help her up.

"Sorry…"

"Don't be, it's actually fun to see you get riled up once and a while," she said happily.

"Guess I'm walking…"

"Yeah," Anna interlocked her left arm with Elsa's left, "But I never said that you'd be going down alone." The Queen couldn't help but chuckle at the cheekiness of the girl hanging from her arm. "C'mon, let's give it another try!"

* * *

*** **Day 2, Combat Training *****

Anna and Elsa once again met at the North Mountain. This time Elsa was dressed in a loose fitting shirt and a pair of trouser pants. The Queen had to admit, she wasn't used to wearing such plain attire, but Anna seemed just as comfortable in it as any dress the two of them would wear. Elsa didn't know what they were going to do dressed so plainly, but once Anna drew a twenty foot wide circle in the snow, it was more than obvious.

"Tell me we're not about to do, what I think we're about to do?"

"Yep, combat training! And I don't want to hear anything about how you don't need it. `Cause you _do_! This will help you when someone's too close for you to use your powers effectively. Plus if you combine it _with _your powers, it'll probably do a lot more damaging then from far away," explained Anna.

Elsa groaned, somehow, in the course of two days, their roles as big sister and little sister had been reversed. Anna had taken the reins of training Elsa in the ways of combat, her usual giddiness and happy-go-lucky attitude still remained, but she often switched to that of an instructor, which made Elsa feel like a snot nosed recruit.

"So, _Master _Anna, what aspect of combat are we covering for our first lesson?"

"Glad you asked. I want you to remember four things, River, Storm, Wildfire, and Moon, in that order."

Elsa raised an eyebrow at that statement. Anna saw this reaction and decided to demonstrate what she meant. The Princess then entered a fighting stance; she then began to move her arms and hands to and fro. After a second or two Anna moved her feet in a swaying motion, her feet glided through the snow, not showing any sign of forcing her way through it, but merely passing through. Elsa saw that Anna's eyes were closed and suddenly the image of her dancing at the festival popped back into her mind. Her movements seemed different from last time; they were fluid, with little to no wasted energy.

"You need to be fluid, like a river," explained Anna. "But…"

"But…?"

Anna's smooth movements then became hard, striking and punching with vigor at an invisible enemy. "You need to strike with the force of a storm!" The young Princess then threw in a few kicks to match her punching, displaying what it meant to strike like a storm.

"I see, and what are the last two?"

"Better to demonstrate." Anna entered a fighting stance, readying herself for attack. "Now, try and hit me."

"Excuse me?!"

"Try and hit me, with your fists, not your powers."

"Anna, I can't hit you! I would never –!"

"Elsa," the redhead interrupted, "this is training. I'm not your sister in this ring. Right here and now I'm your teacher, and most importantly, your opponent. Now attack me!"

The thought of hurting Anna, even in sparring, made her stomach churn. But the determined look in her little sister's eyes told the platinum blonde that her resolve in this matter would not be swayed. She'd wait for Elsa to make a move, and to not do so would disrespect Anna and the time she was taking to actually go through with this training. With a deep sigh Elsa braced herself for what she was about to do.

"Sorry, Anna."

Elsa dashed for the Princess, Anna didn't flinch, holding her ground as her sister raised her fist into the air and thrust it towards her. Suddenly Elsa felt a sense of weightlessness, the world seemed to spin and go topsy-turvy. The ground was the sky, and the sky was the ground. Elsa then saw Anna's boots appear before her; she then looked further up to find said sister looming over her while smirking.

"W-What just happened?"

"I applied all four parts at once. The last two of which are as follows: having the strength of a wildfire, and remaining mysterious like the shadow of the moon, you didn't realize what was happening till it was over, and that completes the four part lesson."

Anna offered Elsa a hand to help her up. The elder sister accepted the helping and rose up, patting her back free of the snow that clung to her.

"I see why you wanted to do this in the snow, softer landings. Anna, tell me, how exactly do you know all this?! This doesn't seem like the kind of stuff any of our warriors are taught."

Anna rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Actually I learned it from three guys." Elsa raised a suspicious eyebrow. "They were from the Orient; they were traveling with their wives and stopped by in town. Apparently they were asked to demonstrate their training to the guards. So I may've popped in on them, and I might've asked them to show me their moves…"

Elsa had a stern look on her face as she rested her hands on her hips. "Oh and when did this take place exactly?"

"…When I was sixteen and you were nineteen, while you were still, y'know…"

Elsa was once again struck with the harsh reality of her actions during her self-imposed isolation. "…Sorr –"

"Stop, don't you dare say that you're 'sorry', Elsa. I understand," Anna approached her sister and clasped her hands around Elsa's, "you did all that to protect me. Because you didn't want your powers to hurt me or anybody else, I can't blame you for that, you were scared of your powers. But I'm not, they're beautiful and powerful. And now you have the chance to use them to protect and save many lives, we both do."

"Anna…Thank you," she said.

"No problem." Anna released Elsa's hands and took a couple of steps back. She then reassumed her fighting stance. "C'mon sis, let's try one more time."

With renewed vigor, Elsa was ready to fight once again, telling herself that she would not fall for the same trick twice. Unfortunately Elsa found herself in the same upside down world she had previously exited earlier.

Anna turned around and sighed, "We've got a long way to go…"

* * *

*** **3 Days Later *****

Anna and Elsa were once again on the North Mountain. In the time that had passed the Snow Queen had made some good progress in creating more elaborate constructs. Everything from chairs, tables, tall spires, even some living ice animals, of course some were sturdier than others. But all in all it was progress.

Anna had been the same, improving her concentration on her constructs while creating more than one at a time. Of course Elsa could tell that her imagination had no limit when it came to creating them. Sometimes she'd create a dragon, a chimera, a gryphon, a giant whale, and a few elven warriors and archers. The trick for Anna was maintaining them, she was often scattered brained, and the fact that her creations needed her full concentration in order to maintain their form was a bit difficult for her to master. But, like Elsa, she was determined.

Anna dismissed her constructs and rose from her sitting position. "Phew, well, now that we've done that, let's try something new for you."

"Alright, what do you have in mind?"

"You seem to have the basic principle down of how to create constructs, so I want to move on to creating you some armor," suggested Anna.

Elsa was more than a little confused by the statement, "Armor? Anna, the blacksmiths will take care of that."

The redheaded blonde quickly shook her head. "No, it has to be armor from _you_! Look." The Sword of Willpower flashed beside her left hip, in an instant Anna was garbed in her Emerald Knight armor. "The sword allows me to create this armor from its power. It's like a full package deal, the sword and the armor; they're connected, so I don't drain any energy maintaining it. But the point is I know for a fact that nothing short of one of those Berserker's might be able to put a dent in it. So, in order to maintain maximum protection, you have to create a suit of armor with your powers. Try it at least."

Elsa looked over herself, true she had created a dress using her powers, but that was a dress, a suit of armor was an entirely different beast. It had to be thick and strong enough to protect her from arrows, spears, swords, and bludgeoning weapons, while still being light enough to move fast and nimbly while in close combat. Elsa closed her eyes and envisioned what her armor would look like in her mind's eye.

Suddenly a gust of wind swirled around Elsa, her form was blocked out from the all the snow the vortex had whipped up. Elsa could feel her powers at work, weaving, creating something over her body. Outside the sphere Anna watched as a mass of sky-blue energy was gathering at the center of the vortex. It grew and grew till the energy burst open, throwing snow everywhere. Anna looked closely, trying to see what had happened to Elsa, and what she saw made her gasp.

Elsa entire torso was covered in a solidified, icy armor of many blue hues. A sapphire crystal rested below her collarbone with four crystalline frills protruding from either side that matched her draping shoulder pads. Just then large spikey ice wings unfurled behind her, making her four long ribbons of see-through cloth on either side of her lower back dance in the crosswind. Her arms were uncovered allowing her pale, porcelain skin to show, while tiny snowflake crystals littered her platinum blonde hair.

Elsa finally opened her eyes and saw what she had created. Inspecting her body from different angles, and took a particular interesting in the large ice wings on her back. They seemed to move according to her thoughts and movements, it was a rather strange sensation. The whole time though, Elsa couldn't help but notice how Anna was just staring at her with wide eyes. Anna's reaction made Elsa cringe a bit.

"So…Anna, what do you think…?"

"What do I think!? I think you look…look…beautiful!" Anna shouted.

Elsa's lips curled into a smile upon hearing those words. "Really?"

"Well yeah! I mean, you were already beautiful before, but now you're gorgeous! And those wings – there are no words, and it really shows off you're figure too," she gushed. Just then Anna blushed as she realized that her praise may have crossed the line at the last bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound so weird!"

Elsa felt her heart skip a beat as her face blushed crimson. And she could tell that Anna was feeling more than a little embarrassed by her comment "It's fine, Anna. You were just speaking objectively, right," asked Elsa, offering her a way out of her awkward praise.

"Y-Yeah, that's it! Yes I was speaking objectively, `cause, you know, I'm your sister, nothing wrong with complimenting each other's figures!"

_She may've gone a little overboard with that, but I'll take it. _

* * *

*** **10 Days Later *****

Much time had passed since Elsa learned how to create the Ice Armor, in that time she and Anna learned how to fly in the air. Anna, using the power of the sword, and Elsa, using her command of the icy winds and the, surprisingly, aerodynamic wings on her back. The two sisters would spend half of their training zipping through the air, racing around mountain tops and through crevasses that cut through the rocky terrain.

The least fun activity of their day, for Elsa anyway, was when Anna would transition them into close combat training. In her defense she had been getting better, but the majority of Elsa's time was spent with her getting acquainted with the ground. Luckily Anna thought it was a good idea to spar while they were in their armor, which did provide some extra padding along with the powdery snow that covered the mountain.

"Ugh, I swear I'm never going to get this!" Elsa shouted.

Elsa was once again given a helping hand back up, with a bit of light chuckling coming from Anna.

"Don't worry, Elsa. I'll make a man out of you yet," she proclaimed.

"You'll do WHAT!?"

"Just a figure of speech, I'm getting into my Master Anna role, after all."

* * *

*** **15 Days Later *****

"Elsa, are you sure about this? I mean I'm all for testing the limits of our armors, but this might be a little dangerous," said Anna.

Currently the two sisters were standing in the middle of their usual clearing. Anna's Sword of Willpower was charged with emerald light, ready to be unleashed. Elsa was standing at least twenty feet away in full armor, waiting patiently.

"No I'm not sure, but we have to test the limits of my armor. It's held up so far, but I'm still not confident that it'll hold up during combat, so what better way to test it and work out the flaws then by you helping me," explained Elsa.

_Still don't think me shooting you with a beam of light is the right way to go here_, thought Anna.

Elsa took a defensive stance, preparing herself for Anna's attack. "I'm ready!"

Anna groaned, she really didn't want to do this, but Elsa was getting serious about her training so she had to oblige. "Fine, I'm using at least thirty percent of my full power, no more, no less, got it!?" Elsa nodded in response. "Here we go!"

Anna twirled the sword around in her right hand before thrusting it forward and unleashing a torrent of green light at Elsa. The beam struck true as it washed over her older sister. Anna cringed when she felt the impact of the beam, but to hold back now would be an insult to Elsa. The beam continued to pour over Elsa, but at that moment the familiar glow of her sky-blue magical energy began to shine within the stream.

The energy built up till it was a giant sphere that parted the beam. With a great burst Elsa cancelled out Anna's attack. The Snow Queen stood tall, wings flared, panting from her brief time in the beam. It was then that the Queen smirked proudly at her little sister.

"See, I told you I would be fine, An –"

The sound of cracking glass interrupted Elsa; both girls looked at the Ice Armor and saw that a small crack formed near the midsection. Elsa laughed it off, an easy fix, she thought. When she moved to place her hand on the damaged area the crack spread out to the rest of her armor, and in that instant, the armor shattered into pieces.

Anna's mouth dropped open and Elsa's usually pale face was now glowing bright red. She quickly squatted down to the ground and covered herself with her arms and hands the best she could. Elsa then shot her little sister a piercing glare, Anna quickly hid her weapon behind her back and chuckled nervously.

"Uh…heh, heh…at least the cold doesn't bother you, and it's a good thing we're the only ones up here, right Elsa…?"

Elsa growled loudly, "**ANNAAAAAAAAAA!**"

* * *

*** **30 Days Later *****

It was nearly a month sense they first started their training, all the while the staff at the castle, the soldiers, and ambassadors only looked upon their Queen and Princess as they arrived back from their secret training spot, sometimes covered in bruises, other times with one or the other being carried on their back. But it was all worth it, because today was the day before the Eve of Battle, when the United Alliance Forces would start their campaign against Hans and his army.

Elsa and Anna were at their usual sparring spot. The younger sister smirked at the older, prompting her to mimic her sibling's expression. "Alright Elsa, this is it. Today's the last day of our training together before…before the fighting starts. So for our last day, we're going to spar, using all we've learned and putting to use. No holding back."

Elsa nodded, "Agreed. Though, don't be too disappointed when I win."

"Oh-ho-ho, 'when you win', you mean _if _you win," Anna shot back.

The sisters narrowed their gazes as both were enveloped in spheres of sky-blue and green energy. When the spheres dissipated the Queen and Princess were donned in their armor, ready for a fight. Anna drew her Sword of Willpower, while Elsa used her magic to conjure two swords made of diamond hard ice. A small snowflake then appeared above the space between them.

"When this snowflake hits the ground, we begin," said Elsa.

Anna's response was holding her sword tightly with both hands as she entered a fighting stance. Elsa did the same, flaring her ice wings and preparing for takeoff should the need arise. The snowflake fell at an agonizingly slow rate, but it only served to build up the tension. Anna carefully scanned Elsa, looking for any weak spots in her defense.

_I'm glad I taught her that two handed sword style, she has many ways to defend and attack with like that. Which is kinda bad since I can't really see an easy opening…I'm so proud of her!_

At the same time Elsa was scanning Anna's stance. She analyzed every possible direction from which to attack, but Anna's stance was deceptively open for attack, she could quickly switch her stance at any time and close off any opening her opponent saw, thus luring them into a trap.

_Got to say, I've seen a whole new side of Anna since we started. She's stronger than she thinks she is. And, as much as I don't like it, has a real knack for fighting. Plus that armor is appealing…ugh, of all the times for my thoughts to stray into that area, now is not the time! Focus Elsa, you need to give Anna your best, show her what you've learned!_

The snowflake had drifted lower in the time that they were watching each other; it was only a mere twelve inches from the ground. Elsa and Anna began to count the inches as if counting down a clock.

_10…_

_9…_

_8…_

_7…_

_6…_

_5…_

_4…_

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

The snowflake, with one last flip in the air, finally touched the ground.

_0!_

Elsa wasted little time in making the first move. She flapped her mighty ice wings and propelled herself forward. I gust of snow littered wind kicked up behind her as she flew towards her sister. Elsa raised her right sword and came down with and overhead slash. Anna, instead of blocking with the sword, released her left hand and caught the blade. Elsa didn't let this fact throw her off balance. She quickly brought her left sword into a reverse-grip position and brought the blade across, aiming for Anna's helmet. The Emerald Knight saw the change in attack and quickly raised the Sword of Willpower up, and blocked the icy blade with the flat of her weapon.

The two sisters were locked in that position, with Elsa straining to complete her cuts, and Anna using her hand and sword to keep her from doing so. Just then Elsa got an idea; she began to flap her wings hard. More gusts of wind started to kick up behind her as Elsa flapped her wings. Soon Anna felt a shift occurring, her body began to be pushed back. The younger sister dug her feet into the ground and tried to plant herself where she stood. But it was no use; Elsa's wing beats were increasing, gaining more speed. Anna's heels dug into the dirt and rock, creating grooves into the earth as she was pushed along. The Princess was a not one to be pushed around so easily, so Anna summoned more of her willpower. A green aura ignited around her body as she slowly began to rise up.

Elsa saw what was happening and broke off her attack, falling back fifteen feet in the air before reassuming her fighting stance. The two sisters were now hovering in the air, waiting for either one to make their move. Anna decided to take the offensive this round and flew straight for Elsa. She brought the Sword of Willpower over her head and prepared for a vertical strike. Elsa flipped her left sword back to a normal-grip style and used both sword blades to catch Anna's weapon before it hit its mark.

Both sisters struggled in the air, sparks of sky-blue and green energy flew off their blades as they poured their power into their weapons. They then broke off their power struggle and flew in different directions.

Elsa decided to go for long range attacks. She dismissed the sword in her right hand and collected her magical, sky-blue, energy into her hand. Spotting the green streak in the air, Elsa unleashed an ice blast. The beam of ice rocketed towards Anna, but the Emerald Knight countered with her own beam, causing the two attacks to collide and explode in midair.

Elsa smirked happily, and continued her barrage. Both sisters traded attacks back and forth, beams of sky-blue and green light shot in every direction. Some hit the side of the mountains with a powerful explosion, and others exploded into spikes of ice. Every now and again the two royal sisters would clash with their blades, creating thunderous shockwaves to ring out through the sky.

"Not bad Anna, but let us see how you handle _this_!"

Elsa dissolved her sword and began to spin out. Her magic flared as ice began to form in her wake. Her creation began to spring two large bat-like wings, a long neck, scales, a spiked tail, and sharp dagger like fangs. When she was done, Elsa had created a giant ice dragon that roared mightily into the air. The dragon landed on the mountain top, digging its diamond hard claws into the rock while wrapping its tail to anchor itself. The Ice Dragon looked upon Anna with its snow white eyes and let out a thunderous roar. Elsa was perched atop the dragon's head, arms crossed and grinning proudly at her creation.

Anna smirked. _Wow Elsa, now _that's _a construct, but I'm not going to let you show me up that easily! _

Anna raised her sword high into the air. The blade glowed bright as particles of green light began to create her construct. The particles solidified into long bodied, scaled creature. The construct coiled around Anna till it was one-hundred and fifty feet long, bearing long fangs and razor sharp claws. Anna had created an oriental dragon to match Elsa's dragon.

"Impressive," commented Elsa.

"Why thank you, and now – ATTACK!"

The green dragon coiled and weaved as it flew towards Elsa. The Snow Queen flapped her wings and ordered her ice dragon to do the same. The two beasts roared as they flew at each other. The ice dragon slashed with its claws, grazing the underbelly of the green dragon. The light construct roared but continued on its path. It then wrapped itself around the ice dragon's body, like a snake constructing its prey. The ice dragon did its best to free itself, clawing and biting at its opponent's body. The green dragon continued to tighten around the ice dragon, creating small cracks in its body with each squeeze.

"Time for some back up," said Elsa.

Elsa waved her hands rhythmically through the air, conjuring a new construct. Her magical energy glowed brightly in her hands as she opened her arms and let out a wave of ice and snow. Her magic and the wintery elements combined together to create her second construct. The new creation had a snow body, ice feathers, talons, and beak, and blue eyes that were piercing. The snow bird screeched majestically as it spread its wings, creating snowflakes that danced in the air.

Anna had to take a moment to look at the beautiful creature Elsa had created. A fierce and utterly stunning construct, in a way, the snow bird remanded Anna of Elsa herself, especially with those eyes. The younger sister looked at her older sister and she too seemed to be gazing in awe at her creation. Anna then groaned loudly.

_Oh man, it's so gorgeous and now I have to fight it…! This sucks!_

Anna twirled the Sword of Willpower in her right hand and thrust the sword towards the snow bird. The particles of green light gathered and formed a second construct to counter Elsa's. The second was also a bird, but it was literally on fire, a green flaming bird with a long feathery crest. A phoenix with blazing, sparkling emerald flames intercepted the snow bird and started to engage in an aerial battle that soared higher into the sky. Meanwhile the ice dragon continued to fight against the green dragon, now unleashing a powerful blast of icy wind from its maw.

The green dragon had had enough; the light construct spun around flung the ice dragon into the side of the mountain. Not wanting to lose momentum the green dragon lurched back and bellowed out a jet of flames that struck the ice dragon. The ice dragon clawed and flailed about, but ultimately it evaporated into nothing.

Anna and Elsa turned their attention back up to the aerial battle. The phoenix and snow bird constantly collided in the air, one unleashing blasts of ice, while another flapped its wings and released blazing green flames. The two avian constructs continued to battle on with fierce conviction. That is until the snow bird flew higher than the phoenix, it spun in the air and then dive bombed for the phoenix. The snow bird concentrated its ice powers into its wings and swiftly slashed through the phoenix.

Now all that was left was the dragon and the snow bird. Both Elsa and Anna stared each other down as their respective constructs flew to their sides. The warrior women dismissed their constructs and readied themselves for close combat yet again.

Elsa's body erupted with sky-blue magical energy and Anna with the green light of willpower. The two sisters attacked each other, to the untrained eye it would appear as if two streaks of light were colliding and clashing in midair. But really, Elsa and Anna were clashing with their blades; an intense gaze was shared between them, along with a smile. The two lights landed on the ground and kicked up a large cloud of snow.

When the snow settled a bit Anna had Elsa by the tip of her sword, hovering just a few inches from her face. The younger sister smirked triumphantly. "Looks like I win."

"Really, Anna, maybe you should take another look," suggested Elsa.

Anna glanced to her right; hovering just a few feet in the air were five razor sharp ice shards. On Anna's left, five more were present, all awaiting the order of the Snow Queen to strike. Anna giggled happily and lowered the Sword of Willpower, prompting Elsa to dismiss the ice shards at the same time. Anna's helmet vanished and revealed the proud smile she had on her face.

"Well done, Elsa, I've got nothing else to teach you," said Anna.

"Thank you, Anna." Elsa paused for a moment and thought. Afterwards she then bowed to her younger sister. "_Master _Anna."

"You don't have to do that Elsa, I was just messing with you," said Anna, her cheeks tinged with red.

"But I want to. You've taught me so much, Anna. And…I'm not going to lie, it was kinda fun." Anna raised an eyebrow at that, a smug smile forming on her lips. "Okay, it was a _lot _of fun."

"I thought so, at least this time your armor didn't break apart."

A cracking sound began to echo; Elsa quickly looked down at her armor and panicked. "Oh no, don't you dare –!" But it was too late, the armor shattered apart and Elsa once again found herself in the most embarrassing situation, for a second time, of being exposed in front of Anna. Elsa just stood there, the conflicting emotions of frustration and embarrassment waged war within her. Her face was scarlet red as she bit her lower lip in an attempt to stifle a scream. Anna just, stood there, trying to look everywhere else but at Elsa.

"…Um…that is totally not my fault."

Suddenly Anna felt a chill; she then looked down and watched as her armor dispersed into particles of light. Anna quickly tried to cover herself with her hands, her face and most of her own body turning the same shade of red as her older sister. Elsa couldn't help but let out a chuckle from the situation.

"You weren't concentrating, Anna."

"**ELSAAAAAAA!**"

* * *

*** **Kingdom of Lavel *****

Below the castle of Lavel, something wicked was underway. Five men were standing at the edge of a pit filled with a red liquid substance. The room was furnished like a torture chamber; bladed instruments were laid on the tables, many of which had fresh and old bloodstains upon them. The room had the heavy smell of iron permeating the air, the smell of blood.

At that moment the doors to the room burst open and Hans, garbed in his Crimson Warlord attire, strode in with the Ax of Rage strapped to his back. Hans slowly walked over to the giant pit filled with the red liquid and stared happily at the concoction.

"Excellent, is it ready," asked Hans.

One of the hooded men closest to Hans raised his head and looked at their lord and master. "Yes my lord, the Blood Pool is ready for your final touch."

Hans kneeled down on one knee, taking a closer look at the near bottomless pool. "The blood of the innocent, the blood of the guilty, of men and women, murderers and degenerates, all combined and worked upon by forbidden Blood Magic, and now it is time." Hans stood up and waved his hand, prompting the five men to step away from the Blood Pool. Hans then grabbed the Ax of Rage and held it aloft over the pit. The malice filled weapon began to glow with crimson light as Hans' eyes were filled with the same energy.

"_**With blood and rage of crimson red,  
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead.  
Together with our hellish hate,  
We'll burn you all – that is your fate!"**_

The Ax of Rage then unleashed red arcs of lightning, striking the Blood Pool again and again. The pool began to shimmer and spark with scarlet electrical energy. The blood began to surge and flow, splashing about and bubbling. The pool glowed with a harsh crimson light, as the energized blood sloshed to and fro. The Ax of Rage then combined the arcs into one powerful beam that struck the center of the pool. In that instant the forbidden magic took hold and the contents within transformed into a crystalline form, Hans then fired one last red lightning bolt into the crystalized blood. The bolt shot through the crystal and spider webbed all the way through, slicing it up from the inside out.

When he was through, the pit was now filled with thousands of Rage Gems, each one gleaming with the contained energy of rage. Hans rested his ax upon the ground and smiled wickedly.

"My army is assembled, and now they have the means with which to burn all who stand in my way," said Hans.

"Yes…but, my lord, we still haven't quite figured out how to fix the flaw in the gems," said the hooded man.

Hans gave the man a steely eyed glare, "What 'flaw' do you speak of?"

The hooded man gulped as if he had just spoken blasphemy, "Well…the Rage Gems still incinerate the their users upon their destruction…and we still don't know how to remove them once their on –"

"That is irrelevant," he said coldly. "They are nothing but my instruments of destruction; they will kill and raze every kingdom to the ground. And on the day we march on Arendelle…" Hans' red aura flared upon thinking about that kingdom, and the two who ruled it. But it was a moot point now. "Disperse the Rage Gems to my Berserker Candidates, we approach the Eve of Battle…And we mustn't keep our friends waiting."


End file.
